


Various GRATSU One-Shots

by mushi0131



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Blow Job, Established Relationship, Gratsu - Freeform, M/M, One-Shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2018-11-22 03:26:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11371611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mushi0131/pseuds/mushi0131
Summary: Various one-shots about one of my favorite pairings, Gratsu! The genre and ratings will change from story to story. It will list what rating each one-shot is, as well as a list of any warnings that apply. (There will be sexual content in some of these) Summaries will be given for each story to make things easier. I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. I do not give anyone permission to repost any parts of this story anywhere. Please be respectful.





	1. His Fantasy

**First One-Shot is called "His Fantasy".**

**This may or may not be based on true events. :P I hope you enjoy this story!**

**Summary:** _**We all have fantasies. Some we voice, some we keep locked in our minds. Natsu decided to finally tell Gray about one of his, surprised when the fantasy came true.** _

**Rated: M for foul language, sexual content, and adult situations. NSFW.**

**Genre: Romance**

**Word Count: 2.7K**

* * *

**His Fantasy**

Natsu thought nothing of it when he told Gray one of his sexual fantasies. He knew it wouldn't come true, but he thought sharing it would be fun. He had no idea Gray would take him so seriously.

They were sitting on the couch, watching TV like any normal day when the thought popped into Natsu's head. He had been told he didn't have a filter, but most of the time he didn't see it. This was one of those times.

"Sometimes I think about sucking your dick through a hole in the wall."

Gray raised a brow, turning his head slightly so he could still watch TV while also giving Natsu some attention. "What?"

"Like a glory hole," he said as if it was the most normal conversation in the world. The thought of getting down on his knees and servicing Gray made his pulse race and his cock twitch. "I think it'd be pretty hot."

Gray's focus slowly slipped further away from the TV, the show nearly forgotten. "Like in pornos?"

Natsu shrugged. "I wouldn't want to do it in some dirty bathroom, but I think it'd be hot to suck your cock through a wall." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyways. I don't wanna go to some nasty place to do it. It's just a fantasy."

Gray nodded, slowly leaning back into his spot on the couch. "Yeah... just a fantasy..."

* * *

Natsu thought that was it, but two days later, Gray came home from work with a smile on his face, which was odd because Gray hated his job.

"Hey," Natsu said as he went to pour Happy some cat food. "How was work?"

"Eh, just as shitty as ever."

That answer only confused Natsu. Why did Gray look so pleased if he had a bad day at work? "That sucks. I'm sorry."

Gray shook his head. "Not your fault."

Natsu was about to ask what they should do for dinner, but Gray interrupted him when he said, "I got something from work today."

"What is it?"

Gray nodded towards the door as he turned around. Natsu hesitated before following him out the front door. They walked to their driveway where Gray's truck and his Jeep were parked. He furrowed his brows when he saw a large piece of plywood sticking out from the bed. "What is it?"

Gray smiled at Natsu, a mischievous glint flashing in his dark blue eyes. "I'm gonna make you a glory hole."

Natsu's eyes widened as he turned to look at the wood again. It was large, too big to fit inside their house. If Natsu had to guess, the thickness was probably around an inch or so. He blinked a few times before looking back at Gray. "You took me seriously, huh?"

Nodding, Gray headed towards the bed of his truck, Natsu following a moment later. "I can cut it down so it fits against our door frame."

"What are you gonna do about the-" Natsu glanced around their neighborhood, but luckily it was just as quiet as ever.

"The hole?" Gray asked for him. "I have that hole saw set, remember the one Igneel gave me for Christmas two years back?"

Natsu nodded slowly. "I remember..." Slowly getting on board with the idea, he said, "You're gonna have to wash the wood... And sand it down." An involuntary chuckle left him when a thought crossed his mind. "Don't want you getting splinters in your dick."

Gray laughed, but despite his good mood, he cringed a little at the thought. "So, what do you think?"

Natsu grinned, looking from the wood to his husband. "I think you really want me to suck your cock."

Another laugh left Gray as he shrugged. "I can't lie... That's part of it."

"What's the other part?" Natsu asked, his green eyes flashing with amusement.

Gray paused, finally looking around himself to see if anyone could hear them. No neighbors were outside. "You never really tell me your fantasies. I thought I could make this one come true."

Natsu's eyes softened as his heart warmed. Even though what Natsu wanted was crude, Gray somehow made it seem sweet. He stepped up, engulfing him in a hug. "Thanks."

Gray chuckled, hugging Natsu back. "Don't thank me yet. I still gotta work on it."

Green eyes slid shut as he sighed against Gray's shoulder. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

"Right."

* * *

Natsu didn't realize that thought was going to take up part of their Saturday. Gray woke him up and told him to take his motorcycle out of the garage so he would have room to do his work. After parking his bike on the curb, he asked what else he could do to help.

"Nothing. I want this to be a surprise."

Natsu grumbled as he headed back inside, muttering under his breath that he wanted to help. He knew pushing the issue wouldn't work. Gray was pretty good when it came to keeping his resolve. So, Natsu planted himself on the couch and started playing video games. There was no point for him to waste his whole Saturday waiting on Gray.

However, Natsu ended up more involved than Gray hoped. After cutting the sides of the board down to door size, Gray realized he didn't have any sandpaper in the garage. They had to make a trip to the store to buy that and paintbrushes.

Natsu wanted it to be a solid color instead of the color of plywood. Luckily, they still had brown paint left over from when they built a small cat house for Happy. Neither of them wanted a dog, so they settled with spoiling their cat as if he was a canine.

After buying their hardware items, they decided to do a little light grocery shopping while they were out. Of course, that led to Natsu trying to fill up the cart with junk food while Gray swatted the worst of it away.

"You don't need Oreo churros!"

Natsu narrowed his eyes as he put them back, sticking his tongue out in the process. "I'm surprised you're saying no to something so cold.  _Ice Princess!_ "

Gray's eye twitched as he tightened his grip on the cart's handle. He tried to sound tough, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone. "Really? You wanna do this here?"

Natsu smirked, grabbing onto the wired end of the cart. "What? Ya scared I'm gonna beat ya?"

That was all it took for the two to start flinging mock insults at each other while threatening to beat the other's butt - _there might have been kids around, so they kept it PG-13 for their sake._

Luckily they calmed themselves down before they were thrown out. It wouldn't be the first time it happened and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

When they got home, Natsu put away the groceries while Gray went back to work. Apparently, he didn't need any help after that, much to Natsu's annoyance.

After a while, Gray came back inside, saying the hole was cut and one side was painted. They ate while waiting for the paint to dry, Gray leaving after watching an hour of TV to go check it out. After ten minutes, Gray hadn't returned, so Natsu figured the paint was dry and he was working on the other side.

Sure enough, Gray came back later, saying it was almost finished. They decided to play Pokémon GO while waiting. They were doing a special event called 'Fire and Ice' which was amazing for the two because Natsu's favorite type of Pokémon were fire and Gray's were ice.

They walked around their neighborhood, catching all the Cyndaquil, Shellder, and Houndour they could find. When they got back to their house, Gray said the paint was dry.

"Can I look at it now?" Natsu asked, eager to see Gray's handy work.

Gray nodded as he led him to the garage, a small smile on his face. "Right this way."

Natsu entered the stuffy garage. He smelled sawdust and paint immediately. It wasn't the best for his sensitive nose, but he could put up with it. His own smile widened when he walked up to the slab of wood held up by two sawhorses.

It was now the size of a normal door, the wood stained a dark brown. A little under the halfway mark was a hole, cut out and sanded down. Natsu opened his mouth, but his voice cut out when he saw Gray lift some duct tape.

"I know it won't be aesthetically pleasing, but I think it'd be better to put tape around the hole."

Natsu nodded, fully agreeing with him. "It'd be a lot safer. I don't wanna accidentally taste that paint, and well, you might still hurt your dick."

Gray barked out a laugh as he started cutting the strips. "Glad you understand."

Natsu was happy when Gray didn't make him leave for the next part. He tore strips of duct tape off while Gray placed them around the hole, making it a lot safer than before.

Getting hurt was definitely not part of Natsu's fantasy. He would save that for when he was in the mood to be spanked or do the spanking. He loved turning Gray's pale ass pink.

Natsu shook those thoughts away, ignoring the twitch of his cock in his pants. It wasn't the right time... Or, at least that was what he thought.

"Wanna help me move this inside?" Gray asked, pointing towards the door that connected their garage to their house.

"Sure," Natsu said, propping open all the doors before taking an end of the wood. They worked as a team to bring it indoors. Gray started heading towards the stairs, but Natsu tugged at the wood.

"We can just put it down here. There's a bathroom right there," he muttered, tilting his head to point at the hallway bathroom they were passing. "Besides, it'll be more authentic."

"How's that?" Gray asked, already shifting the wood to prop it against the wall.

"The bathroom upstairs is too big. In my fantasy I imagined a small bathroom with the toilet right next to me." His tan cheeks tinted pink as he whispered, "I imagined it like a real bathroom stall... Is that weird?"

Gray shook his head, one hand reaching out to cup Natsu's scarred cheek while the other made sure the wood didn't fall over. "Not at all. I'll put it down here."

Natsu nodded as he took a step back, entering the smaller bathroom. "Let's see if it fits now?"

"Okay."

Natsu grabbed the hole to use as a handle while Gray held the sides of the wood, only letting go when it was leaning against the door frame. Gray pushed it with his feet while Natsu pulled it, securing it inside the door frame.

Natsu took a step back, amazed that it fit perfectly. He heard Gray call, "Okay, let go of it."

"I already did." Natsu dropped down to his knees, peeping out of the hole. A devilish smile surfaced on his face as he asked, "Hey, you wanna try it out now?"

"Really?"

Natsu shrugged, but he knew Gray couldn't see him. "Why not?"

"Well, with  _that_ logic," Gray said with a chuckle.

Natsu watched as he stepped in front of the door, hands unbuttoning his pants before sliding the zipper down. He pushed his pants and underwear down enough to reveal his long cock, already hard. Natsu wanted to make a comment about it, but before he could get the words out, Gray was already thrusting his cock through the hole.

Natsu hesitated before sticking his tongue out, dragging it softly against the tip, tasting a bead of pre-cum. His smile widened as his heart started to race, his fantasy already setting in when he wrapped his lips around Gray's cock.

As he bobbed on it, Natsu imagined their scenario. They were two men who met at a bar. After a few drinks and some light flirting, Natsu said he needed to go to the bathroom. There, he found Gray had followed him, ducking into the stall next to him. There was a hole cut out in the wall, making Natsu's pulse rush. He leaned down, peeking inside. Gray was already pulling his cock out, but instead of pointing it towards the toilet, it was facing the hole.

Natsu was wrapped in his fantasies as he took all of Gray's cock in that he could. With the wood there, he couldn't deep throat him like he wanted to. There were limits to what he could do, but the rush of living out his fantasy was enough to make up for it. Natsu's tongue licked at the underside of Gray's cock while his mouth worked to massage the length with every thrust.

He could hear Gray moaning from the other side, his voice muffled which only made him more excited. His own arousal was straining in his pants, wanting stimulation too, but he put that off to service Gray.

Natsu's mind kept switching from reality to his fantasy. One second he was sucking off this random guy in the bar, the next he was bobbing on his high school sweetheart who he married.

It was better than he thought it would be.

Usually Natsu had some telltale signs that Gray was going to finish. His hair would get pulled harder, Gray's face would scrunch up more than usual, or he would literally say he was coming.

Since all Natsu could see was his cock, he was surprised when he felt Gray spurting inside his mouth. He blinked, unsure if it was pre-cum or an actual release, but after a few seconds of it still going, he realized Gray met his end.

For some reason, that only made Natsu's body flush, satisfied with his fantasy. In a real glory hole situation, he doubted the other man would let him know he was finishing. Of course, all he had to go on was porn. It made the authenticity that much better.

Natsu kept his lips around Gray's cock for a moment before pulling away, moving to the toilet so he could spit it out. In his fantasy, he always spit it out, so he went with what his brain told him to do.

Slowly standing up, Natsu grabbed a piece of toilet paper before wiping his mouth. That had been more exciting and fulfilling than he thought it would be.

They remove the wood from the door frame, leaning it against the wall so Natsu could leave the bathroom. Before Gray could get a word out, Natsu hugged him, a smile on his face as he said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Gray chuckled, threading a hand through Natsu's pink locks. "You're the one who sucked me off."

Natsu nuzzled against Gray's neck, loving his natural scent mixed with light sweat. "But you're the one who made my fantasy come true. Thank you."

Gray closed his eyes, hugging Natsu back as the two leaned against the door, next to their handmade glory hole.

"Do _you_ want to try it now?" Gray asked, earning a snort from Natsu.

He pulled back, a sharpness in his eyes that wasn't there before. He smirked, moving to give Gray a quick kiss before his lips skimmed across that pale cheek, seeking his ear. In a low and dangerous whisper, Natsu said, "Actually, I was wondering if I could take you through that hole."

He felt Gray shudder against him as his hands tightened on his shirt. His voice was airy when he said, "Yeah?"

Natsu let out a soft chuckle as his tongue came out, tracing the shell of Gray's ear. "Yeah. Would you like that? Bent over while I fuck you through the hole?"

Gray let out a moan as he pressed himself against Natsu's erection, nails digging into the material of his shirt. "Actually, that sounds really hot."

"Glad you think so," Natsu whispered, his lips brushing against Gray's ear. "Why don't you go prepare while I get something to drink? I can still taste you in my mouth."

He heard Gray swallow thickly before nodding, pulling away from the hug so he could go upstairs and prepare. While he did that, Natsu made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water before chugging it down.

He was already panting as he thought about sliding his own cock through that hole and into something much,  _much_  tighter.

He couldn't wait.

* * *

**So, what do you think? This is my first time posting a Gratsu story, but I'm working on a multi-chapter one right now. (Well, it's on hold at the moment, but I'm planning on finishing it)**

**I'm going to try to participate in Gratsu week this year, so hopefully I'll have at least one more one-shot in a few weeks. My goal is two though, so we'll see. :) Let me know what you thought of this one-shot. I'm a little nervous posting it since I usually don't write for this pairing, though I absolutely love them. :) Thank you for reading! Have a great day/night!**

***I do not have an updating schedule, and I do not take requests.**


	2. Power Outage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of my submission for Gratsu week 2017. Day Four: Power Outage
> 
> Summary: A little power outage isn't going to stop Natsu and Gray from enjoying their day off. They can have plenty of 'fun' without the lights on.
> 
> Rated: M for foul language, sexual content, and adult situations. NSFW.
> 
> Genre: Romance
> 
> Word Count: 3.3K

**Power Outage**

Natsu groaned shortly after waking up. He flicked the light switch a few times, frustrated when nothing happened. He went to the bathroom to see if it might work, only to sigh when he received no light.

"Gray," Natsu grumbled, shaking his husband's shoulder. "Gray?"

"What?" came Gray's muffled voice through the pillow. He lifted his head, barely opening his eyes to look at Natsu. "What time is it?"

Natsu checked his phone before looking down. "Nine."

Gray immediately shoved his face back into the pillow, shaking his head. "Too early." He had only so many days off, and this was one of them. He wanted, no,  _needed_  to catch up on sleep if he wanted to make it through the week.

"But I'm bored."

Gray turned his head so he could speak clearer, but he didn't bother opening his eyes. "Then watch TV."

"I wanna hang out with you," Natsu said, a pout in his voice.

"Then watch TV in here. Just keep the volume down."

"We can't watch TV anyways..." Natsu sighed before heading towards the door. "I guess I'll go make breakfast. Do you think the milk's still good?"

Furrowing his brows, Gray said, "It should be? Didn't we just buy it the other day?"

Natsu nodded, not that he could see. "Yeah, but the power's still out."

"It is?" Finally, Gray moved to sit up. He looked at the light, seeing it wasn't working. "Damn. I thought it woulda been on by now."

Last night before the two men went to bed, the electricity cut out. The storm was over now, but it didn't leave until after it messed with their power.

"Are you getting up?" Natsu asked, excited when he saw Gray shifting out of bed.

"Guess so." Gray threw on a tank top and basketball shorts before heading downstairs, Natsu right behind him.

The first thing Natsu did when he reached the first floor of their house was head to the fridge. He opened it, frowning when he saw the light was off. Grabbing the milk, Natsu gave it a sniff to see if it was still good. "I can't tell. You try," he said, holding it out for Gray.

Gray shook his head, grabbing a pack of cigarettes before sliding his feet into his shoes, not bothering to put socks on because he wouldn't be outside for long. "You know I hate the smell of milk. Just don't have cereal."

"Can I eat steak?" Natsu asked, holding up the bowl with two ribeyes inside. They had been marinating since yesterday.

"No, that's for tonight," Gray started, frowning when he realized they might not last until tonight since the refrigerator wasn't working. The cold air that was still inside would allow it to last for a while longer, but he doubted it would make it all day. "Fine. Might as well."

"Yosh!"

Gray chuckled at Natsu's childish behavior as he went to retrieve the steaks. "Go start up the grill. This stupid stove isn't gonna work."

Natsu barked out a laugh as he headed outside. "Told ya we shoulda gotten the gas stove, but  _nooooo_. Gray wanted the electric."

"Yeah yeah." Gray used one hand to wave Natsu off before he went to put the final seasonings on the meat.

* * *

"This is awesome! We should grill more often!"

Gray looked up from his plate to see Natsu tearing into his steak, sauce staining the corners of his lips as he swallowed. Gray wondered if he even bothered to chew, though he doubted Natsu did. He was always enthusiastic when it came to eating meat.

He chuckled, bringing a small chunk of steak up to his lips as he thought about something else Natsu was good at. He certainly was quite talented with his mouth, always eager to shove more into it than could fit.

Gray had to part his legs as he shifted, a slight stir in his pants as he thought about that hot mouth around his cock, swallowing around him as his devilish tongue worked him over. He huffed, wondering if he could get Natsu to get on his knees today. They still had that glory hole upstairs in the second bedroom, but he wasn't in the mood for anything overly kinky.

Though, cumming on Natsu's face sounded pretty nice right about now.

Looking over at Natsu, he sighed, realizing a blowjob was the furthest thing from his husband's mind. Natsu was blissfully eating his steak while Happy meowed at his feet, trying to get a piece for himself.

 _'Maybe later,'_  Gray thought before returning to his food. There were plenty of things they could do that didn't require pulling their cocks out in the mean time.

"What do you wanna do today?"

Natsu hummed for a moment, the tip of his fork dragging against his lower lip. "I dunno. We could watch a movie on the laptop?"

Gray considered the offer, liking the idea. A day in while resting would certainly put him in a better mood. Though, he would rather watch it on their TV. Why buy a 60" screen if they couldn't use it whenever they wanted to. He sighed, knowing it would be a while until the power came back.

"That sounds good."

"Can we watch in bed?" Natsu asked, a mischievous glint in his green eyes.

Gray smiled at the offer, nodding his head. "Great idea."

* * *

Natsu settled against Gray's chest as they laid down. He had his laptop towards the edge of the bed with 'The Amazing Spider-Man' playing. Gray was behind him, also laying sideways to face the screen. He had one hand on Natsu's stomach, the hem of his shirt pushed up past his belly button.

Gray was teasing Natsu's skin, loving the breathy sigh that escaped when he pulled him closer to his chest. He could lay in bed like that forever, but eventually one of them would get hungry, or need to use the bathroom. Still, moments like that were cherished. With their busy lives, they needed to appreciate each other and their time spent together.

Everything seemed peaceful, until Natsu blurted out, "I wish I could have superpowers."

Smirking, Gray asked, "And what would your power be?"

"Hmmm... I dunno. Something awesome though!"

"Spider-Man is pretty awesome. Would you want that?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, I need something cooler."

"Cooler?" Gray's fingers traced over Natsu's abdominal muscles, admiring his toned figure. "Maybe you want ice power?"

He laughed as he continued to shake his head. "That seems better for you,  _Ice Princess_."

"Anyways," Gray started, not wanting to bring up  _that_  again. Apparently getting caught singing 'Let it go' in the shower wasn't embarrassing enough. Natsu had to taunt him with that little nickname ever since. "What would you want?"

"Oh! I know!" Natsu wiggled in excitement, looking over his shoulder to see part of Gray's face. "I wanna get bit by a radioactive lizard!"

"A lizard? You want to be Lizard-Man?" He looked at the screen, watching as Spider-Man battled the lizard-mutant form of Dr. Connors. "Like him?"

Natsu shook his head. "No, not like him. I'd be," he paused for dramatic effect, "Salamander!"

"Still don't see the appeal."

Huffing, Natsu said, "It'd be sweet! I'd climb on stuff, I'd breathe fire, and-"

"Lizard's don't breathe fire," Gray pointed out, causing Natsu to sputter.

"Hey! Shut up! This is  _my_  super power! I can breathe fire if I wanna!"

"Whatever," Gray drawled, but Natsu heard the amusement in his tone.

"Don't worry," Natsu mumbled as he turned around, bopping Gray on the nose with his finger. "You can be part of it."

"What?" he scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "You want me to be your sidekick?"

Natsu laughed, leaning in to whisper in Gray's ear. "Nope. You get to be my love interest."

Gray couldn't help but laugh along with Natsu, grinning as he placed a single kiss on his husband's lips. "Love interest, huh? Guess it fits."

He leaned in again, reveling in the warmth of Natsu's lips. He felt Natsu place hot hands on his bare chest, rough fingers teasing his skin. He pulled back an inch, gazing into those beautiful green eyes.

"Should we keep going?" Gray asked, letting out a soft whimper when Natsu's fingers flicked over one of his nipples. "Or finish the movie?"

As if on cue, the laptop died, its low battery being the cause of its death. "That answers that question," Natsu whispered before scooting up so he could kiss Gray easier without having to crane his neck.

Natsu's hands tangled in dark hair as he was shifted onto his back, strong thighs straddling his hips. Their lips clashed, mouths opening so they could delve in. Natsu groaned when he felt his tongue being sucked into Gray's mouth, his heart thrumming as hands splayed across his chest.

Gray reached down, palming the erection swelling inside Natsu's shorts. He felt Natsu buck his hips, chasing that hand. "What do you want to do now?" he asked, earning a groan.

Natsu's eyes screwed shut when he felt his cock being squeezed through the material. " _Fuck_ , feels good."

" _Mmmmm_ ," Gray moaned, moving his mouth to Natsu's jaw, slowly leaving open-mouthed kisses down his neck, tongue flicking over that jagged scar running along his throat. "Fuck, huh? That sounds good."

Natsu shook his head, realizing what he meant. "I don't wann _aahhh_ ," he moaned when he felt Gray stroking him through his shorts. "Can't do anything too messy," he panted, breath turning ragged the longer he was teased. "Don't wanna take a shower."

"Okay," Gray said with a chuckle, slipping his hand into Natsu's shorts. "I'm sure I can still make you scream my name without fucking your tight little ass."

Natsu moaned at the filthy words spilling from his husband's mouth. Dirty talk was one of his biggest turn-ons, next to rough sex and biting.

He arched his back when Gray wrapped his hand around his cock, giving him a firm pump. " _Yes!_  Again!"

Gray obeyed, stroking Natsu's thick cock, feeling pre-cum sliding down his fingers. He couldn't help but smirk as he teased him. "Did that movie get you all hot and bothered? Should I be worried?"

Natsu moaned when Gray's thumb circled around the tip, rubbing his sensitive nerves. His hips jumped as he stammered. "N-no, asshole.  _Nngghh!_ "

Gray gave his neck a playful bite before pulling back, drawing a pout from Natsu. "Is it okay if I use you to touch myself?" He slowly uncurled his fingers from Natsu's cock to bring his hands to his boxers, pulling them down. He thought he was wearing shorts before, but with his stripping habit, it was hard to keep track of what he was and wasn't wearing.

His long, pale cock sprung out, causing Natsu to suck in a breath. His hands slowly traveled down Gray's abs until his fingers skimmed over black hair. He didn't look up, but he knew Gray was smirking as he wrapped his hands around his cock, making sure to touch as much of him as he could before rubbing him.

Gray's chin tilted up as he let out a moan, cock throbbing for more attention. Natsu wet his lips, an urge he couldn't resist bubbling up in his mind. "Come here," he whispered, giving Gray the softest tug he could manage. "I wanna taste you."

Gray didn't protest as he straddled Natsu's chest, thrusting his cock near that hot mouth. Natsu paused for a moment, shifting his hands to Gray's ass, yanking down his boxers so he could grip onto his firm backside before sliding his lips over the tip of Gray's cock.

A filthy moan spilled from his lips as soon as he felt the heat of Natsu's mouth consume him, his wet tongue quickly lapping around his cock before he tried taking more into his mouth. From the angle, he couldn't deep throat, but he was still able to drive Gray insane.

" _Damn!_  Your mouth feels so fucking good around me. Such a good cocksucker."

Natsu loved the praise, working harder to service his husband. He bobbed his head back and forth before stilling, using his hands to help guide Gray's body so he could thrust into his mouth.

Pleasure flooded Gray's senses as he fucked Natsu's face, fingers digging into soft pink hair before snapping his hips, feeling his length trying to penetrate Natsu's throat. He was half-tempted to pull out and make Natsu put his knees to the floor, but he had other ideas. He wanted them to come together, and the best way for that wasn't with Natsu's mouth around him.

Saliva dripped down the corners of Natsu's mouth when Gray removed his cock. His green eyes were hazy as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "Why?" was what he managed to say before he saw Gray moving down his body, his hips hovering over his own.

Gray said nothing as he covered Natsu's lips with his own before taking their cocks in his hand, giving them rough squeeze. He swallowed Natsu's moan before thrusting his tongue into his mouth, tasting his pre-cum. He loved it. He loved Natsu.

Gray ran his hand over his own cock, collecting Natsu's saliva before rubbing them both. Groaning, Natsu bucked his hips, desperately trying to get more friction. He loved feeling Gray's cock slipping underneath his, but the grip was never tight enough. He needed more.

One of Natsu's hand landed on Gray's back, digging his nails into his skin while the other grabbed their cocks, focusing on the tips. They worked together to stroke themselves, both men grunting and growling before they sealed their mouths with a kiss.

Gray bit at Natsu's bottom lip before pulling back a few inches, their tongues still dancing before he nipped at it. "Bet I can last longer than you."

Natsu huffed, sweat dotting his forehead. Without the power on, the ac was off, leaving every inch of his skin feeling hotter than normal. Or maybe it was from the way Gray touched him. He didn't know.

"Probably," he panted, trying to chase Gray's mouth for another kiss. He pulled back, causing Natsu to pout. "I'm ready to go now."

Gray let out a dark chuckle before diving in, mouth finding his throat before giving him a rough suck.

"F- _fuck!_ " Natsu's eyes slammed shut as he felt his body thrumming with pleasure, his lower abdomen coiling as he neared his end. Gray increased the speed of his hand and tightened his grip, prompting Natsu to do the same. He felt vibrations through his neck when Gray hummed, signalling he was on the edge as well.

Natsu wished he could last longer, but he was too turned on. Gray knew him too well, knew just what to do and say to get him where he needed to be. It was over far too soon, but it felt incredible regardless.

Natsu's body shook as he came, releasing high on his chest before the rest hit lower, coating his stomach and belly button with his cum. Gray was right behind him, white ribbons decorating Natsu's pecs and abs, mixing in with his essence. He barely resisted the urge to fall on top of Natsu, knowing it wouldn't do any good to have both of them messy.

He rolled onto his back next to his husband, lazily reaching over to grasp Natsu's hand, giving him a soft squeeze. It took a moment, but Natsu squeezed back, his breathing still labored as he came down from the blissful sensation after a release.

However, when he finally realized what happened, he groaned. "Damn. Now I need a shower."

"Okay?" Gray said, raising a brow as he turned his head, seeing some of Natsu's hair sticking to his forehead from sweat. "Why's that a problem?"

"Did'ju already forget? The power's out."

Gray didn't want to admit that yes, he did in fact forget. With their curtains pulled back a bit, he didn't notice the lack of light. Speaking of which, he looked over, seeing the part of the window that was uncovered was far away from them. No one would be able to see what they were up to, especially since they were on the second floor of their house.

"The water's not."

Natsu frowned before trying to sit up, falling back down as soon as he felt some of the cum on his torso falling. He was a sticky mess. Part of him loved it, but the other part just wanted to be clean. "I don't wanna take a cold ass shower!"

Gray laughed as he rolled over, setting a hand on Natsu's thigh. He would put it on his stomach, but he didn't want to get cum on his fingers. At least, not at this moment. Part of him wanted to finger Natsu with their cum, but he knew Natsu didn't want to get  _that_  messy, so he didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he smiled at his husband.

"Maybe I can try to warm you up?"

Natsu playfully swatted Gray's hand away before asking, "Can you grab me a towel? I don't wanna get up?"

"So lazy," he teased as he sat up, giving Natsu a wink before he entered the bathroom. He returned a minute later with a damp towel. With gentle touches, he cleaned Natsu's chest and stomach, captivated by his gorgeous body. Natsu had just the right amount of muscles to look strong but not bulky. He appreciated the fact that Natsu took care of himself so well.

When his body was mostly clean, Natsu sat up, saying he would rinse off in the sink. "I don't wanna fall in the dark."

Laughing, Gray agreed. "Nope. We wouldn't want that."

Gray grabbed his phone, turning on the flashlight before following him in, using the light to help guide his way. It had been difficult navigating in the dark when he was trying to find a towel earlier, so he figured he would make it easier for Natsu.

When Natsu was clean, the two men dressed before heading downstairs. Since the laptop was dead, they couldn't watch movies, but they still had some board games and puzzles.

Natsu would just be sure not to play 'Monopoly'. The last time they went at that game, Natsu ended up sleeping on the couch because they got in a heated 'debate' over the properties. They made up the next morning and even laughed about their stubborn attitudes, but Natsu wasn't willing to run that risk. At least not any time soon.

Besides, if he had it his way, they would play 'Phase 10'. He absolutely slayed at that game.

However, before he could suggest it, Gray mumbled, "I got a text from Lyon asking if we wanna come over. What do ya say?"

Natsu didn't have to think long. "Can I use his shower?"

"I'm sure you can."

He nodded. "Then yeah. I don't mind going."

While popping a motion sickness pill for the drive, Gray grabbed them drinks. Just as they started heading towards the doors, the ceiling fan in the living room started moving. Raising a brow, Natsu went over to the light switch, turning it on.

He paled when the lights flickered on. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

When Natsu started heading back upstairs, Gray asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna go take a shower now."

Gray laughed, already pulling out his phone. "What about hanging out?"

"Text him and say we'll be late." Natsu glanced over his shoulder, giving Gray a toothy grin that didn't match his sharp eyes. "Besides, I need you to wash my back." He continued to walk until he was no longer in view, but Gray could see the lights he turned on as he went. "You coming?!"

Gray chuckled as he sent his brother a text, saying something came up and that they would be there a bit later.

Right now, Gray had a request to fill, that would hopefully lead to something more  _dirty_  than clean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this one-shot! Let me know what you thought! I'll be posting one more for gratsu week. It'll be for day seven. It's rated T, so no smut, but it's angsty and 5K words. I'm excited. :) Anyways, thank you for reading!


	3. Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of my submission for Gratsu week 2017. Day Seven: Hospital
> 
> Summary: Everyone deals with grief differently. Some people cry, others try to hold it in. Natsu didn't know how to take the death of his father, so, he took off. Loosely based off a post break-up au prompt: You're my emergency contact and I've been in an accident so you drop everything to come to the hospital.
> 
> Rated: T for foul language and adult situations.
> 
> Pairing: Natsu/Gray (Gratsu)
> 
> Genre: Hurt & Comfort, Angst (Hopeful ending)
> 
> Word Count: 5.3K

**Hospital**

The first thing Natsu felt when he started to wake up was pain. It radiated from his right side, then spread throughout his body. A groan left his clenched teeth as he opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away.

He saw a white ceiling, causing him to furrow his brows. The shitty motel he was staying in had stains all over the ceiling, but this one was clean. His head lolled to the side, seeing a table beside him. On top rested a tray of food containing a half-sandwich, a cup of mixed fruit. and a small bottle of apple juice.

The uneaten food wasn't the thing that confused him. Natsu was confused because the only thing he'd eaten or drank over the last seven months were chips and tap water.

"'Bout time you woke up," an eerily familiar voice spoke from beside him.

Natsu jerked his head to the side, cringing when he felt the kinks in his neck. However, the pain only registered for a second. Once he refocused on the man before him, all other feelings left his body.

"Gr-Gray," he whispered, voice cracking. He hadn't seen his boyfriend in over half a year. He almost forgot how breathtaking he was. His dark blue hair looked black, unless under sunlight. The same could be said for his eyes, almost looking onyx unless someone stood closer to him. His face was just as pale and stoic as ever, making Natsu feel as if no time had passed since he last saw him.

But, time had passed. Seven months to be exact, and he couldn't blame their time apart on anyone but himself.

He had run away when the going got tough, too much of a coward to face his problems head on. It was all his fault, and there was nothing he could do to make up for that time they lost.

Could he even still call Gray his boyfriend?

Judging from the scowl surfacing on his face,  _no_. No, he couldn't.

And honestly, Natsu couldn't blame him. He skipped town and had only left a letter to say he was sorry. He didn't even bother packing all of his stuff. He packed a small bag before hitting the road and not turning back, leaving most of his possessions behind in their house for Gray to deal with.

He knew Gray was going to be upset, but he did it anyway, all so he could avoid the harsh reality he wasn't ready to face. He still didn't want to face the fact that his adoptive father, Igneel, had passed, but he knew he could no longer run from it. He decided to come back to Magnolia, but after that, everything was a blur.

Natsu opened his mouth, hesitating before saying, "I'm sor—"

"Don't," Gray cut him off immediately, his nose scrunching up as his dark eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare."

A lump formed in Natsu's throat as his heart dropped. He had wanted to apologize to Gray since he left, but now he didn't get the chance.  _'I don't deserve forgiveness,'_  he thought, realizing Gray didn't have to hear him out if he didn't want to.

Natsu could at least spare him that courtesy.

Instead of attempting to apologize, Natsu asked, "What are you doing h-here?" With every word spoken, the pain in his side increased. He looked down, but all he saw was a white sheet over his body. "Where am I?"

"Dumbass," Gray muttered, his glare not fading. "You're in a hospital."

"Hospital?" he asked, as if the word was foreign to him. "Why? What happened?"

For a second, Natsu saw an emotion on Gray's face that wasn't pure anger, but it faded quickly. He raised a brow as he looked down at him. "You were in an accident."

"An accident?" Natsu repeated, brows pinching together. What kind of accident did he get in? Was that why his body felt like he had been hit by a train? "Wh—"

Before he could get the word out, the door to the room opened. Natsu glanced over, seeing a female in light blue scrubs come in. She smiled when she looked at Natsu before walking over to his bedside, opposite of Gray.

"Good morning, Mr. Dragneel. Glad to see you awake finally."

"Finally?" he asked, frowning when she nodded. "How long have I been here?"

"Well," she started, heading to the end of the bed to grab his chart. "You were admitted around midnight Saturday night, so it's been almost a day and a half."

The nurse didn't notice Natsu's wide eyes as she put the chart back. "You're lucky. Not everyone survives a motorcycle accident."

Natsu's chest tightened as the news sunk in. "I... I crashed my bike?"

"Wrecked it," Gray answered, crossing his arms over his chest. Natsu looked over at him just as he added, "It's a surprise you even made it." His eyes were unbearably cold.

Natsu felt the back of his eyes prick, hoping they weren't becoming watery. The way Gray said it sounded as if he didn't particularly care if Natsu made it or not. The thought alone made his heart pang, guilt racking his body. He remembered how loving Gray was before he left. It was his fault for making Gray angry and bitter. He had no right to be upset at him after leaving without a proper goodbye.

The nurse, not noticing the tension growing in the room, said, "You broke three ribs on your right side, you broke your left arm in two places, you had a concussion, and you suffered some internal bleeding. The doctor had to rush you into surgery, otherwise you would have bled to death. You also have some cuts and scrapes, but they weren't nearly as bad."

Natsu felt his hands shaking, but his arms were numb. He didn't remember crashing. He barely remembered packing a bag while still in his motel. That was Friday night.

"I-I don't remember," he whispered, voice just as shaky as he felt. He tried to look down at his body to assess the damage, but the sheet blocked his view. He was too scared to lift the sheet, deciding he could find out later how bad his condition was.

The nurse nodded as she messed with some of the medical equipment in the room. "That's not surprising. Memory loss happens sometimes in accidents like this. If you can't remember right now, don't force it. Just focus on resting. The doctor will be in later to talk to you. Right now I just need to get your vitals, then I'll leave you two alone."

Natsu's heart clenched when he heard Gray snort, as if the idea of being alone was funny to him. He remained silent while the nurse checked a few things. Even after she left, the room was still too quiet.

When Natsu looked back at Gray, he saw he wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he was on his phone, typing away at it. Natsu wanted to ask what he was doing, but he knew he didn't have the right to ask. However, there was something that bugged him. If Gray was acting like he didn't want to be there, why was he present?

"Why are you here?" he asked, eyes widening when he saw Gray meet his gaze, eyes narrowed.

"You don't want me here?" His voice was laced with malice, almost sounding offended. "I can leave."

"No!" Natsu shook his head quickly, then winced at the pain. He guess he also had whiplash, but the nurse didn't mention that. "Don't leave, please?"

Gray looked reluctant, chin tipping upwards as he glared down at him. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Whatever." Without another word, he went back to his phone.

That only made Natsu feel antsy. Gray didn't answer the question. A little frustrated, Natsu asked again, "Why are you here though? I thought—" He couldn't finish that sentence. He thought Gray hated him for what he did, but he couldn't ask.

If he asked, he might receive an answer, and Natsu didn't want to hear if his fear was true.

Gray sighed as he glanced over to Natsu, his expression almost bored. "The hospital called me."

"They did?" Natsu's brows pinched together as he tried to think. Did he ask for Gray while he was here? He didn't remember it. But then again, he didn't even remember getting on his motorcycle to crash it.

Nodding, Gray said, "I guess... I guess I'm still your emergency contact."

Natsu's shoulders tensed. That was right. He hadn't changed any of his information since he skipped town.  _'Wait...'_  "So, we're in Magnolia?"

Gray held his gaze for a few seconds before looking back down at his phone, seemingly uninterested. "Yup. They said you crashed at the edge of town on the freeway. You don't remember?"

Natsu didn't bother shaking his head, not wanting to feel any more pain. "No."

Without looking up, Gray asked, "What's the last thing you remember anyways?"

Despite not looking like he cared, Natsu detected the slightest hint of curiosity in his voice. He swallowed hard, knowing Gray wouldn't want to hear his answer. "P-packing..."

Gray's eyes snapped to his, that earlier anger returning. "Oh? Why am I not surprised?" His passive aggressive tone didn't go unnoticed, not that he was trying to be subtle about it. "What were you running away from this time?"

_'Ouch.'_

As much as Natsu knew he deserved it, Gray's attitude was starting to piss him off. If he wasn't willing to listen to his apology, why did he have to listen to Gray berate him?

"For your information," Natsu all but growled, "I was headed home."

"And where's home these days?" Gray asked, glaring at him. "You forgot to leave a return address on your note."

Clenching his teeth, Natsu muttered, "It was a letter."

"A letter usually has more than two sentences in it. What was it...  _'I'm sorry I can't do this. I love you, bye.'_  Shortest  _letter_  I've ever seen."

If Natsu clenched his teeth any harder they would surely break. He could feel hot tears stinging his eyes, but he didn't care. His blood boiled, angry at Gray, but also angry at himself. He knew he fucked up. He didn't need Gray reminding him. "I— Never mind."

"What?" Gray taunted, baring his teeth. "Say it."

Natsu knew the only reason Gray wasn't yelling at him right now was because they were in a hospital. If they were at their house— He shut his eyes tight, remembering it wasn't their house anymore. When Natsu left, he gave up the right to call that his home.

Slowly, Natsu opened his eyes, fresh tears slipping down his cheeks. His bottom lip twitched as his heart dropped. Nothing he said would make things better. So, he decided not to try. Closing his eyes once more, he mumbled, "Just... go."

"What?"

"I said just go." Natsu's voice was strained, but he managed to raise his volume a bit. He couldn't look Gray in the eye, his stomach twisting as he imagined his expression.

Natsu didn't expect the sudden silence that overwhelmed him. He almost wanted Gray to scream at him, to tell him to go to hell, but the room remained quiet. It only put him on edge.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor made him jolt. He heard Gray's clothes shift as he stood up, followed by his footsteps. A moment later, the door to his room opened, slowly swinging closed a few seconds later.

 _'He... He left.'_  Natsu didn't open his eyes, not wanting to see that empty chair beside him. He knew he shouldn't have been upset, but he was. He had left Gray, and now—

"Are you in pain, Mr. Dragneel?"

Natsu's eyes snapped open, his vision blurry for a moment before he blinked away his tears. A man with long, green hair and pale skin stood above him, wearing a white lab coat with a name tag resting over his left breast pocket.

_**Dr. Justine** _

"Wh-what?"

The doctor raised a brow before stating the obvious. "You're crying. Are you in pain?"

Not wanting to admit the real reason for his tears, he nodded. "Y-yeah." He wasn't exactly lying. His body was in pain, along with his heart.

"I can't give you anything too strong, but I'll tell the nurse to bring you some painkillers. That should ease the pain. Now," he started, taking a seat beside Natsu's bed, "I hear you've had some memory loss. What's the last thing you remember."

Natsu hesitated, his throat feeling tight as he admitted, "I was packing t-to come back to Magnolia."

"Where were you?"

"Cr-Crocus."

The answer seemed obvious given his crash, but the doctor asked anyway. "Were you going to drive or fly?"

"Drive. I was gonna take my bike." Natsu's voice lowered, his heart aching. "I don't remember anything after that."

"Well, it's hard for me to guess what happened. You were unconscious when someone found you and called 911."

"Did... Did I hurt anyone?" Natsu asked, terrified of the answer. He didn't know why he didn't realize that was a possibility until now. "When I crashed?"

Dr. Justine shook his head. "No. From what I've been told, it looked like you veered off the highway and hit a concrete border. No one else was harmed."

Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would do if he hurt someone. He already felt guilty about what he did to Gray. That would be nothing compared to actually harming someone else.

"I... I might've been tired," he confessed, closing his eyes as he tried to concentrate. "I remember thinking I had to get to Magnolia as fast as I could. I thought about sleeping and leaving in the morning, but I don't think I did."

"When was this?" Dr. Justine asked as he pulled out his phone.

"Friday night."

"Hmmm." After tapping at his device for a moment, the doctor said, "The drive from Crocus to Magnolia is roughly twenty-four hours. If you left Friday night, that would make sense that you arrived right outside of Magnolia Saturday night, but it also means you didn't stop to sleep. There's a chance you fell asleep while riding."

"Or got sick," Gray's voice sounded from the corner of the room.

Natsu's head shot up, pain coursing through his spine, but not registering as he stared at his boyfr—  _ex_ -boyfriend.  _'I thought he left?'_

"Sick?" the doctor asked, not noticing Natsu's wide eyes and parted lips.

Gray nodded as he strolled closer, his hands buried deep in his pockets. "He gets motion sickness. He might've forgotten to take his meds and got sick."

"Has it happened before?" the doctor asked, causing Natsu to finally nod.

"Uhh, yeah. Once or twice..." He slowly turned away from Gray, his heart beating faster than before. "But never when I was driving. I'm usually careful."

"If you were tired, it's possible you might have forgotten."

"Maybe," Natsu mumbled, swallowing hard. If he got sick while riding, there would have been nothing he could do to properly stop his bike. He was determined to make it back to Magnolia as soon as possible, so the likeliness that he forgot was high. "Probably..."

"Either way, you're alive, and that's all that matters." The doctor stood up to adjust some things for the IV drip. "We're keeping you one more night to be sure you're okay before releasing you. I'll have a nurse come in to remove your catheter when she comes in with your medicine since you're awake now."

Natsu didn't think his eyes could grow any wider. "There's... a... a..." He looked down at his body as he gulped. "I'm wearing a catheter?"

The doctor nodded as he walked to the end of the bed, grabbing his chart to write something down. "Correct. You were unconscious for a while, Mr. Dragneel."

Natsu cringed. Suddenly his broken bones didn't feel as bad as what he imagined removing a catheter would feel like. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"The removal?" the doctor asked, shaking his head. "You may feel some discomfort, but it shouldn't be painful. Just follow the nurse's instructions and you'll do fine." Dr. Justine put the chart back in its place before asking, "Do you have any other questions?"

Natsu had to force himself to nod. "Y-yeah. Umm, can I walk?"

Raising a brow, the doctor said, "I don't see why you wouldn't. Your legs are bruised, but no bones were broken. It may be painful to walk, but you should be able to."

"Also, uh, my backpack... Do you know where that is?"

Dr. Justine blinked once before nodding, heading over to a chair in the corner of the room away from Natsu. He pointed to a dirty bag resting on the chair. "It was damaged, but everything inside looks unharmed."

Before Natsu could sigh in relief, the doctor added, "Though, why someone would carry  _that_  around, puzzles me."

Natsu wanted to shrink down, but he knew he couldn't from his position. He could feel Gray's eyes burning into him, but he couldn't look at him. "I uh... wasn't usin' a bank account for a while."

"It appears so," the doctor said, his tone growing distant. "Well, if there's no more questions, I'll send the nurse back in. Good luck with your recovery, Mr. Dragneel. If you need anything else, just tell a nurse to come get me."

"Thank you."

The doctor left the room a few seconds later, leaving Natsu alone with Gray. He slowly looked over, almost flinching when he saw that dark gaze. "What?" he asked, as if it wasn't obvious.

Gray's eyes narrowed a bit before looking over at his backpack. "What are you carrying?"

"It's just money," he admitted, not wanting Gray to think he was holding onto anything dangerous. "It's a lot of cash... from my last job."

"What job?" Gray asked, taking the seat he was in earlier.

Natsu didn't want to spook him away by commenting on it, instead deciding to keep the conversation moving. With any luck, Gray might stay and hear him out, even if it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Boxing. I won my last match."

Gray raised a brow. "Why would you not keep your money in a bank?"

Natsu thought the answer was obvious. His only bank account was a joint account with Gray. How was he supposed to disappear if there was a money trail? Still, he wanted to answer without risking Gray leaving. He went with another truth. "It wasn't exactly...  _legal_. They were underground matches..."

He swallowed, his throat feeling dry. "Couldn't even use my real name."

Gray surprised him by asking, "What name do you use?" He almost sounded interested.

"Salamander. And I don't use it anymore..."

Gray snorted, the smallest twitch at the corner of his lips looking like a smile. "Shoulda figured you'd use that nickname."

Taking a chance, Natsu teased, "It's better than some of the nicknames you've given me. I think my personal favorite was Fire Crotch."

Gray's shoulders shook from a silent laugh as he shook his head. "You're the one who thought it would be a good idea to use hot sauce in the bedroom." It looked as if he was going to say more, but he shut his mouth, his lips curving into a frown.

Natsu realized that was a sensitive subject. It was a mistake to bring it up. "Sor—"

"Did you sleep with anyone else?" Gray asked, cutting him off.

"What?!"

"While you were gone? I know I shouldn't ask, but—"

"Of course not!" Natsu shouted, not caring if he was being too loud. He tried to sit up straight, but pain shot through his body, forcing him back down. He squeezed one eye shut while he tried ignoring the pain. "Gray, I love you. I'd never cheat on you."

Natsu didn't know why he thought that would make things better. He swore the hurt that flashed through Gray's dark eyes was more painful than all his injuries combined. "Then..." His voice was soft, barely a whisper. "... why'd you leave?"

"I was stupid," Natsu confessed, his heart feeling as if it was shattering. "I... I didn't know what to do. Every time I looked at you, I remembered—" He shut up, feeling his chest tighten.

"What? What did you remember?" Desperation tinted Gray's voice, something Natsu hadn't heard before. He already knew he hurt Gray by leaving, but now he truly felt it with every fiber of his being.

"Igneel."

The two men stayed silent for a moment, Natsu cringing in pain while Gray shook his head. "How?"

Natsu looked down, no longer able to hold Gray's gaze. "Igneel... was the one who introduced us... If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have known you."

Igneel hired Gray as a seasonal employee at his shop. Natsu didn't get along with Gray at first, but after working together side by side for a whole summer, the two grew close... Much closer than anyone anticipated.

"Every time I saw you, it reminded me that he's... he's..." Tears filled Natsu's eyes, threatening to fall over at any second. "Gone."

Gray swallowed thickly, his face growing cold as he tried to hide his emotions. "Is that why you really left? It wasn't because... you were tired of me, or something?"

Natsu shook his head as he broke down. The first of many tears raced down his red cheeks, his chest shaking as he slowly lost his fight to remain in control of his emotions. "No! I promise it wasn't you. I'm sorry, Gray. I fucked up. I really, really fucked up. I didn't mean to stay gone so long. I promise."

"Why did you then?" Gray asked, his own face turning red as he fought off his tears. "You were gone seven months. Why so long?"

"E-every time I tried to come back, I kept... I kept thinking about how mad you'd be at me. I was too scared to face you." Natsu hated admitting something frightened him, but he was more terrified of losing Gray forever. He doubted they could resume their relationship where they left off, but maybe, just maybe he could salvage their friendship. He would rather be in Gray's life as his friend than nothing at all.

"I... I wanted to see you. I only left to clear my head, but—"

"Did you?"

Natsu shook his head. "No. I couldn't stop thinking about you... about my dad." He didn't know what hurt worse, his body or his heart. Everything inside him throbbed painfully, reminding him of his mistakes, both physically and emotionally.

"I regret leaving. I regretted it as soon as I did it, but I couldn't f-face you like this. I couldn't deal with my feelings. I thought if I shoved them all down, I'd feel better, but I didn't."

Gray shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "You know I hate losing people, don't you? How do you think I felt when I woke up the next morning and you were gone?! Just gone! All you left was a fucking note! It looked like you just scribbled some words down and left."

Natsu's lower lip trembled as he forced himself to talk, voice sounding hoarse. "B-because that's what I did... I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Everything reminded me of his death. I w-wanted to come back, but every day it got harder. I knew you'd be mad."

"Why now?" Gray asked, causing Natsu to meet his eyes. "Why come back to Magnolia now?" He looked down at Natsu's body, seeing bandages around his head, on his face, and a cast on his left arm. "And in such a hurry you ended up crashing?"

Natsu didn't want to fool himself, but he swore he heard concern in Gray's voice. The thought alone made his heart ache more. He didn't deserve Gray's pity. "I just needed to see you again. I was ready to beg for forgiveness. I still am! I know I have no right to ask for you to forgive me. I get it, I really do. I fucked up."

Gray gritted his teeth, his eyes turning glossy with unshed tears. "Why didn't you call or write? Anything would've been better than that note."

Natsu didn't bother saying it was a letter. He realized now that just because it was on a full sheet of paper, didn't mean it could be considered a letter. "I tried calling you, but most of the time... I hung up. I-I called you on your birthday..."

Natsu used the hand with his IV attached to it to wipe at his tears, frustrated when they refused to let up. "I thought you might pick up, but you didn't. I couldn't even leave a real message."

"I was out with friends.  _Our_  friends," Gray corrected. "Lucy and Cana threw me a surprise party at their place. Everyone was there." He paused, letting out a sigh. "Well, almost everyone. It was weird. I couldn't get you out of my head all night. Then I got home and had a voicemail... I—"

Gray took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "I saw it was from an unknown number. I thought it was you. I was hoping it was you, but when I checked it, it was just a minute and a half of silence..."

"I'm sorry," Natsu whispered.

Gray shook his head. "That's the last thing you should be apologizing for."

He nodded, knowing Gray was right. "Yeah. Sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me, just please, know I really am sorry for putting you through that. If I could change it, I would."

"Honestly," Gray started, his eyes softening, "I wish you would've talked to me. There's no shame in admitting when you can't handle something. I wanted to be there to comfort you. I..." He paused, wrestling with what he was about to say. "I still want to be there for you."

Natsu looked down at his body, the pain pulsing at every injury. "I feel like an idiot. Look at me."

"If it makes you feel better, you look like an idiot too."

Natsu huffed at him through his nose, earning a snort from Gray. He wiped his tears away, thankful when they stopped flowing. He knew everything wasn't okay, but he felt better getting that off his chest. He didn't have Gray's forgiveness, but he hoped he would be able to earn it instead of getting shut out.

Gray looked over at the clock on the wall, frowning. "I should get going. I gotta get home and feed Happy."

"Happy?" Natsu asked, cocking his head.

Gray nodded, running a hand through his dark hair. "Yeah. It was too quiet after... after you left, so I... I got a cat." His lip twitched into a small smile as he glanced back at Natsu. "I think you'd like him. He's a little fireball of energy."

"I'd like to meet him," Natsu said hesitantly, not wanting to upset Gray. "I know I don't deserve it. I know it, but... Is there anyway I can have another chance?"

Just as Gray's eyes started to widen, he added, "As friends! I know I ruined any chance of us being together, but, I really wanna be your friend, Gray. I love you, and I promise I'm sorry for what I did."

Gray took a deep breath as he thought about it. "The doc said you get released tomorrow... I'm not making any promises, but until you get back on your feet, you can stay with me."

Natsu's green eyes flashed with hope as he tried to sit up, wincing when the pain reminded him why he was laying down in the first place. Before he got a chance to say anything, Gray interrupted him.

"I'm not taking you back," he said quickly, keeping his voice firm. "But I'm not... opposed to it in the future... I don't trust you, but I want to."

Natsu nodded, completely understanding. "I'll earn it back. I promise, I'll be better this time."

"And talk to me," Gray added. "If you're feeling down, just talk to me. I'm always available to listen, but you have to tell me if you're upset. Trying to bottle it up inside is only gonna hurt you, and I guess hurt me too."

Natsu swallowed, his heart aching. He knew he hurt Gray, but to hear it confirmed made him feel worse about himself.  _'I deserve to feel this way,'_  he reminded himself as he nodded again. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good." Gray stood before buttoning his shirt back up. Somewhere between their conversation, he had tried to undress himself without realizing it. "But you're sleeping on the couch."

"Absolutely. Makes sense."

When Gray finished with his shirt, he took a step closer to Natsu. He held his hand out, pausing before he reached down and grasped Natsu's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. Natsu returned it immediately, his heart pounding as his cheeks tinted pink. He had missed Gray's touch.

"Get better, okay?" Gray said before pulling away, heading towards the door. "I'll be by tomorrow to pick you up. We can sort everything else out later."

Natsu nodded, not that Gray could see. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Gray looked over his shoulder, flashing Natsu a small smirk. "Just wait until you recover. I'm kicking your ass."

Natsu's heart dropped as he asked, "For leaving?"

Gray's eyes widened just a bit before he shook his head. "No. I wouldn't do that." He chuckled, running a hand through his dark hair. "It's just been too long since we've fought. I... I miss it."

Natsu couldn't stop the large grin from forming on his face. "I'll be counting down the days."

Nodding, Gray opened the door, slipping out of the room without another word. Natsu's head fell back against his pillow, counting himself as the luckiest man in the world. He knew he didn't deserve Gray, even before he left him like that.

He would work hard to be a better person, a better friend to Gray. He hoped they could possibly return to a relationship after they sorted through their emotions, but he knew he couldn't hold Gray to that. He couldn't blame Gray if he decided he didn't want to try again.

As long as he was in his life, Natsu was happy. He would dedicate the rest of his life to making sure Gray was happy too, relationship or not.

"Mr. Dragneel?"

Natsu's head snapped over to the door, seeing the nurse had returned. "Yeah?"

"I brought you some medication for the pain." She handed him two pills and a small cup of water.

He gulped them down, muttering a thanks as she went to throw the cup away. He hoped that meant his pain was going to end, at least for the time being.

"Now, time to remove that catheter."

Natsu cringed, realizing the pain wasn't quite over yet.  _'It can't be worse than a broken heart,'_  he reminded himself, knowing there were much, much worse things he could experience than getting a tube removed from his bladder.

He could tolerate a little more. This was nothing compared to what he put Gray, or himself through for those months apart. At least Gray was giving him the chance to redeem himself. It was much more than he deserved, and he was so thankful his father introduced them all those years ago.

Gray made this hellish world seem bearable. He couldn't afford to take him for granted ever again, and he didn't plan to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty excited! This is my longest gratsu one-shot so far! (Of course I've only written three so far, but still) I'm happy with it.
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this story! No smut, but you got a dose of angst! If you're unfamiliar with me, you should know I love to add angst to stories. For some reason I like to make my characters suffer. I might be sadistic? I dunno, anyways, tell me what you thought!
> 
> I don't know when I'll write another one-shot. My next gratsu project is a multi-chapter story! So I hope you check it out when I finally post it! I have about half of it written so far, but I'm waiting until I finish it before posting. Plus, that's only the rough draft. I still need to rewrite it/edit/proofread.
> 
> Anyways, please let me know what you thought of this one-shot! :)


	4. Jump Start: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Working retail was a pain in the ass, but it got worse when the holidays rolled around. Luckily for Gray, he had a fun and goofy coworker to go through the hell with. Now, if he could just stop his heart from racing every time he was near Natsu, he would be golden. A two-shot Christmas story. Modern AU.
> 
> Rated T for foul language and adult situations.
> 
> Genre: Humor, Romance
> 
> Word Count: 6.7K

**Jump Start: Part One**

Gray glanced at the clock on the wall, smothering a groan when he saw his break was up. He stood, stretching his legs before heading back to receiving to grab another pallet of freight. He nodded and greeted customers as he made his way through the store, his steps stuttering when he caught sight of pink hair.

Gray ducked into the toys department, taking the longer route to the back to avoid a certain co-worker that made his blood burn. It wasn't that Gray disliked the guy. It was quite the opposite. Over the past eight months of working together, Gray had developed a crush on the other sales associate.

Although, crush didn't seem to fit anymore, not when the mere sight of Natsu made Gray's heart flip in his chest.

He took a deep breath as he passed through the double doors, heading towards the mountains of freight they got from the last truck. He tried to push the thought of Natsu out of his head, but he couldn't do it. Those dark green eyes and fanged grin surfaced in his mind, causing his heart to pound a little harder.

He hadn't meant to like the guy, but it wasn't like he stood much of a chance. Natsu was funny, smart, and damn did he have the best smile Gray had ever seen. He easily lit up a room when he entered, his fiery personality affecting everyone he interacted with.

The managers loved him, customers loved him, and Gray—

Well, Gray  _really_ liked him. He didn't want to toss around the word love so carelessly. He needed to get to know Natsu better, and spending time at work together was not the way Gray wanted to do it.

Of course, he was too chicken to straight up ask Natsu out, too afraid of rejection and humiliation. Gray didn't know if Natsu was even interested in guys, and if he was, Gray didn't think he'd agree to go out with him. It wasn't that Gray thought there was anything particularly wrong with himself, he just didn't know if they would be good together.

Sometimes their personalities didn't mesh up well, often times resulting in the two having a yelling match until someone put an end to it. Usually it was Erza, their supervisor, but she never wrote them up, only telling them to apologize and get back to work.

Despite them arguing over petty shit sometimes, they did have their moments where they got along. They had a lot in common, liking the same video games, TV shows, and genres of movies. Gray couldn't count how many times he wanted to ask Natsu out to watch a movie with him, but every time he got close, he decided against it. He was too worried Natsu would say no, he never gave himself a chance.

Gray forced himself to stop thinking about Natsu, knowing he had to concentrate on work. The store was busy due to the holidays being around the corner, the lines at the registers seeming to never end and the merchandise on the shelves disappearing faster than they could restock it.

While that was great for business, it put a lot of stress on the employees, but this wasn't the first holiday where Gray worked retail, and he doubted it would be any worse than the years he had endured before.

He grabbed a pallet jack, ready to pull out a pallet of health and beauty merchandise when he heard a familiar voice call his name, his eyes flitting until they landed on his supervisor.

Erza scurried her way over to him, her face flushed with beads of sweat clinging to her forehead. He wanted to ask her if she needed to take a breather, but she was already speaking, pointing towards the doors leading to the store's floor.

"I need you to help Natsu in pantry. We have to get those edible gift sets out today. Okay?"

Gray opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't come up with a good excuse to get him out of it. He sighed, nodding as he turned towards the doors. Spending time with Natsu definitely wasn't the worst thing in the world, but lately he had been trying to limit his time around the man.

And that reason was so painfully obvious to Gray once Natsu saw him walk up, his lips tugging into a grin as he nodded towards him.

"Hey! Did Erza send ya?"

"Yeah," Gray mumbled, biting his inner cheek to fight off a blush, his heartbeat doubling when he met those sharp green eyes. "She uh, yeah."

Once Gray realized he liked Natsu as more than a friend, he started reacting differently to him. Most were internal, easy to hide from the world. His racing heart and chills were only his business. Gray didn't mind those so much, but when he started blushing and stumbling over his words, that was when Gray had a problem. He thought limiting his time around Natsu would make it go away, but it hadn't.

All it did was make Gray miss the pink haired pyro, making his feelings stronger.

"Great!" Natsu beamed, bending over to grab a box, unintentionally giving Gray a good view of his  _assets_.

Gray cursed himself before grabbing a box too, slicing it open with his box cutter before figuring out where it went. The gift sets were being put on six quads in front of pantry in an attempt to entice customers into buying them. Gray found the correct quad for his merchandise before stocking the empty spot, doing the same with the boxes after that.

They fell into a comfortable silence, only interrupted when a customer came up to ask a question. Gray had almost forgotten he was working with Natsu until he started stocking gift sets that included four mugs with the 'Ford' logo on them and hot chocolate, Natsu striking up a conversation as he stood over him.

"Oh. That's kinda nice that they made those."

Gray looked up, seeing Natsu holding his own box against his body, the weight not affecting him. "Huh?"

Natsu nodded to the gift sets Gray was stocking, an amused grin surfacing on his face. "Those mugs. Now you can have something to drink while you wait on the tow truck."

Gray snorted, shaking his head while Natsu laughed. He wasn't too surprised Natsu was bringing up that again. It wasn't the first time they had a Ford vs. Chevy debate. Gray knew his vehicle wasn't the best, but he liked his little Ford car. It got him from point A to point B just fine. He didn't need to dominate the road in the process.

Natsu on the other hand loved his Chevy truck. It was big, shiny, and of course, red. He was proud of the beast, even when Gray made jabs at him, asking if he was trying to overcompensate for something.

Only once Natsu offered to prove to Gray he wasn't overcompensating, but Gray had quickly declined the offer. That was back before he had this pesky crush. He didn't know if he would consider the offer now, but he liked to think he could resist.

Gray put the last gift set on the shelf before standing up, keeping Natsu's gaze as he used his box cutter to open the other end of the box, thus making it easier to stack with the rest of the empty boxes. "Let your Chevy get stuck. Then who'll be laughing."

"It won't get stuck!" Natsu fired off, sounding almost offended.

Gray couldn't help but push his buttons. "But what if it does? Then what?"

"I won't tell anyone," he said, shaking his head.

Gray raised a brow, his grin growing coy. "You won't even call a tow truck to get you out?"

"Nope!" Natsu held the box in his hands tighter against his body, his expression serious as he added, "I'll set it on fire and say someone mugged me. No one'll know."

Without missing a beat, Gray grabbed one of the gift sets with the Ford mugs, darting it towards Natsu. "You're gonna get mugged?"

Natsu's eyes widened as his jaw went slack, needing a moment before he shook his head and walked off. "You're horrible!"

Gray let him go, too busy laughing hysterically. Natsu was too fun to mess with. It was one of the reasons he started liking him. They both had a weird sense of humor, oddly complimenting each other.

Gray went back to work, snorting whenever Natsu mumbled something under his breath about Gray having terrible jokes. He didn't think anything of it, assuming it would be a regular day.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

Two hours and four pallets of gift sets later, Gray was heading towards the break room, ready to grab his stuff before clocking out. Natsu had been stopped by a customer, and rather than stick around and look like a lovesick puppy, Gray went on without him.

He thought he wouldn't be seeing Natsu again until the next time their shifts matched up, but he was pleasantly surprised when Natsu came jogging up behind him when he was about to clock out and go home.

"Hey! Gray!"

Gray took a subtle deep breath, calming his nerves before he turned to face Natsu's large grin. "What's up?"

"Hey. I uh, I was wondering if you could help me with something," he said, cupping the back of his neck with a hand.

Gray cocked his head, surprised because they were done with their shift and therefore Natsu shouldn't need anymore help.  _'Unless Erza asked him to stay late. Fuck. I really don't wanna end up staying late too.'_

Despite his mind telling him not to, Gray forced out, "With what?"

He expected Natsu to try to convince him to stay an extra hour or two to help with freight, but nothing like that came out of his mouth. "You remember me telling you about my little sister?"

Gray blinked, thrown off guard as he nodded. "Yeah. Wendy, right?" He had to make it sound like a question. He remembered far too well the conversations he had with Natsu since they met, finding himself wanting to know more about him.

Natsu nodded, relief flashing through his eyes for a moment before it was replaced by something Gray couldn't place. "Yeah, that's her. I need to get her something for Christmas, but uh, I kinda waited 'til the last minute."

Gray chuckled, not finding that surprising at all. "Christmas is like a week away. Why'd you wait so long?"

Natsu shrugged, his eyes falling to the side before finding Gray's again. "Anyways, I was wondering if you— Well, I mean if you're not busy, if you could, well—"

"What?" Gray asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Natsu to spit it out.

"Would you come with me to help pick out a gift for her?"

Gray's lips parted, surprised by the question. His heart leaped in his throat, beating uncomfortably fast as he fumbled for words. "I, what?"

"You said you had a younger brother," Natsu started, scratching his head. "I uh, I thought maybe you'd be able to help. Wendy's not into all that girly crap, so I thought since you had a younger brother... maybe they like the same stuff?"

Gray shook his head, not noticing the way Natsu flinched. "My brother's only a year younger. Didn't you say Wendy's like fourteen?"

Natsu nodded, his body tense as he said, "Shit, I didn't know that. And yeah, yeah Wendy's fourteen. Fuck." He started turning, sounding less excited than before. "Never mind. Sorr—"

Gray grabbed Natsu's wrist before he could escape, doing his best to ignore the jolts of electricity flying up his arm at the direct contact. He wondered why Natsu's body was so hot, knowing his hand had to feel like ice on his skin. "Wait! I'll still help ya."

Natsu gave him an incredulous look as he cocked his head. "You will?"

Gray nodded, forcing a small smile on his face. The thought of spending time with Natsu outside of work sounded too good to be true. He knew he was going to be a nervous wreck, and admittedly he might sweat more than what was appropriate for late December, but he didn't mind so much. He wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to hang out with Natsu, even if the idea of buying a toy for a kid didn't sound all that appealing.

Natsu's eyes lit up as he grinned, his body turning so he was facing Gray. "That's awesome! H-here—" He pulled out a small piece of paper, handing it to Gray. "That's my number. Just call or text me when you're ready. We can go in a couple hours if you wanna go home and change and stuff? Or would it be better to go now?" Natsu looked down at his shirt, spotting the dirt clinging to it from working on freight all day. "Eh, on second thought, better change first."

"Yeah, I need to shower anyway." Gray took a step back, finally letting go of Natsu's wrist. He ran his hand through his hair, giving Natsu a nervous chuckle. "I'll uh, I'll see ya later?"

Natsu nodded, that huge grin remaining on his face. "Sounds great. I gotta go get my stuff, but I'll see you in a bit. We'll probably go to the mall or something? I dunno." Natsu walked backwards before turning, holding up a hand to wave at Gray. "Drive safe! You'll need to in that car!"

If Gray wasn't in such a great mood, he would scowl. "Oh ha ha!" he fired back, but there was no bite in his voice. He was too excited to see Natsu later today to be upset by the jab at his Ford.

Gray clocked out with a smile on his face, wondering what he should wear for his shopping trip with Natsu. He didn't want to overdress, but he still wanted to look nice. He didn't know if Natsu was interested in guys or not, but if he was, he wanted to dress to impress.

* * *

Gray couldn't wipe the grin off his face even if he wanted to. If he had to describe the shopping trip with Natsu, he could use the word perfect. The two men had found a gift for Wendy within the first thirty minutes of looking, but instead of calling it a day, Natsu suggested they hang out for a bit longer, even offering to buy Gray lunch.

They talked, laughed, and even got kicked out of a store for goofing around with a mannequin. Overall it was a fun day, especially when Natsu gave Gray a hug before they parted, thanking him once again for helping him find a gift for his younger sister.

Gray swore he could still feel Natsu's warmth on his body, his heart pounding as he drove home for the day. It may have been his imagination, but he thought Natsu might have been flirting with him today. When they were at one of the stores, Natsu had held up a shirt and told Gray he thought it would look good on him. He then insisted on Gray trying it on to 'confirm his theory'.

Gray had gotten so flustered he ended up spending extra time in the dressing room, willing his face to return to its normal color before he saw Natsu again. When he had come out from the dressing room with the shirt in hand, Natsu had pouted, saying he wanted to see Gray wearing it.

Gray hadn't been able to come up with something to say in response, instead shaking his head as he made his way to the checkout counter, buying the damn shirt so they could leave the store.

Gray tossed his shopping bags beside his bed before hopping on, getting comfortable as he grabbed the book he had been reading. However, after trying and failing to read the same page for five minutes, Gray closed the book. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate, not with the memories swimming in his head.

Regardless if anything did or didn't happen with Natsu in the future, Gray would treasure those memories, happy they had a fun time while out and about today.

He just hoped he would get to see Natsu again soon, not knowing when their schedules would match up again.

However, Gray didn't realize he didn't have to wait until they both worked again before he could see the guy who made his heart race, unaware of the interesting night he was about to have.

* * *

Gray jolted awake when he heard something buzzing by his head. He glanced at his nightstand, seeing his phone lighting up his room. Groaning, Gray turned over, ready to dismiss the call and deal with it when he woke up in the morning. Considering he didn't get to bed until ten, he knew it had to be somewhere around midnight or past that.

However, the phone didn't stop buzzing, the sound pulling Gray further and further away from precious sleep. His eyes shot open, irritation clouding his mind as he rolled towards his phone. He knew he wouldn't be getting back to sleep that easily now thanks to whoever decided to call him in the middle of the night.

Gray grabbed the device, sliding over the green bar without seeing who was calling. He didn't try to hid his displeasure, voice rough and harsh as he asked, "What?"

_"Don't laugh."_

Gray blinked, his brows furrowing as his tired mind started working, taking a few seconds to recognize the voice. He sounded a little different over the phone, but it was definitely Natsu, though that still didn't explain why he was calling so late.

"Huh?" Gray shifted on his back, covering his face with his blankets. Normally a call from Natsu would make Gray's heart flip, but he was too exhausted for that, wanting to get the call over with as soon as possible so he could try to get back to sleep.

He could fawn over Natsu some other time.

_"Don't laugh,"_ Natsu repeated, his cryptic message chipping away at Gray's patience.

"What?"

_"Don't. Laugh."_

Gray sighed, wondering why Natsu sounded serious. It wasn't like him, the guy usually full of jokes and laughter. "Uh, sure. I won't laugh." He cleared his throat, throwing off the blanket so he could sit up. "What's up?"

_"I need your help."_

Gray waited to see if Natsu would say more, but he didn't. He dragged a hand over his face, hoping it would help him wake up faster. When Natsu didn't add anything else, Gray shook his head. "With what?"

His question was followed by a long pause. Gray was about to ask him to spit it out, but before he could utter a single word, he heard Natsu's voice coming over the line.

_"My truck... won't start."_

Gray's lips parted as he processed the words, a smile etching its way on his face before he burst into a fit of laughter, no longer caring what time it was.

_"Oi! I said don't laugh!"_

Gray ignored him, the corners of his eyes beading with tears while he laughed harder, causing his side to hurt. He knew he sounded winded as he spoke, but he didn't give a fuck, too happy by the news. "What happened to Chevy being the best? Thought your truck was invincible?!"

Gray tried quieting himself, his shoulders shaking as he suppressed his laugh. He couldn't wait to find out why Natsu's truck wouldn't start.

Natsu didn't sound the least bit grateful for Gray's restraint, his voice a mixture between anger and something else Gray couldn't quite place, but if he had to guess, he would say it was embarrassment.

_"I left the lights on and the battery died! That has nothing to do with the truck!"_

Gray couldn't help but snort, his lips tugging into a grin as he imagined Natsu's annoyed face. It was fun bothering him. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

_"I want you here with me,"_ Natsu responded, causing Gray's few remaining chuckles to stop.

He swallowed, reminding himself Natsu didn't mean it like that. As if that wasn't enough, Natsu confirmed his theory in no time.

_"Bring your car out here. I got jumper cables with me. I need a jump."_

Gray grabbed the blanket that had pooled at his waist, already regretting his actions as he shifted out of bed. He definitely wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon. "You can't ask someone around you for help?"

_"I'm in the middle of nowhere. There is no one else."_

Gray sighed, knowing he couldn't leave Natsu stranded with a dead vehicle, even if the idea was tempting. It would serve him right for making countless jokes about his Ford, but Gray pushed past that as he grabbed a pair of pants, keeping the phone pressed against his ear with a shoulder as he shrugged the jeans on. "Alright, alright."

When he fixed his pants, he stood straight, stretching his sore muscles before a yawn tore from his throat. "So, where are ya?"

* * *

Natsu wasn't kidding. He really was in the middle of nowhere. Gray had to drive to the outskirts of Magnolia just to find his friend, the last five miles of his trip being on dirt roads. Though after driving a mile on it, Gray couldn't tell. The entire place was covered in snow.

It wasn't too hard spotting Natsu, seeing as he was the only truck parked on the shoulder. He raised a brow when he saw a tree in the bed of his truck, knowing he didn't see that earlier when it was parked in the parking lot at work. However, that thought quickly vanished when Gray got a look at Natsu.

He suppressed a laugh when he saw Natsu sitting in the front seat of his truck, his eyes narrowed when they met Gray's. He knew it had to be humiliating for Natsu to call him out there after boasting about his truck for so long, but that didn't mean Gray wasn't going to let him have it.

Besides, the least Natsu could do was let him pick on him considering Gray drove out there at two in the morning.

Gray maneuvered his vehicle until he was in front of Natsu's truck, leaving about a foot or two of space between the vehicles. Before he put the car in park, Natsu was hopping out, jumper cables in hand.

Gray turned off his vehicle, watching as Natsu walked through the snow to his hood, lifting it before attaching the cables to his battery. Gray popped the hood on his car, letting Natsu take care of that end as well. He thought once Natsu finished he would just tell Gray to start the car, but he surprised him by coming to the passenger door, knocking on the window so Gray would unlock it.

Natsu didn't hesitate to climb inside the car once Gray unlocked the door, his teeth chattering as he rubbed his bare hands together. "Fuck," he mumbled, his voice shaky. "It's cold as shit out there!"

Gray barely held back a snort as he shook his head, placing his fingers on the key. "I start it now, right?"

Natsu nodded, prompting Gray to start the engine. He had never jumped a battery before, but he figured it couldn't be that hard. "Can you turn the heater on too? I'm freezing my ass off."

_'Wouldn't that be a shame?'_

Gray pushed the button to turn on the heater, watching as Natsu put his hands up to the nearest vent. Gray hadn't been running it on the way there, but since the car was still warmed up, the heater kicked in quickly.

"Stupid fucking battery," Natsu muttered, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them. "I remembered thinking I forgot to turn my lights off, but I was  _soooo_ sure I did. Turns out they were on the whole fucking time, draining that stupid ass battery!"

"Sounds like it's not the battery's fault," Gray said, laughing when Natsu shot him a glare. "What? I'm not the one who left the lights on."

Instead of firing off with something smart, Natsu turned back to the heater, shivering in his seat. Gray let his eyes flit down to see the thin jacket Natsu was wearing, the material clinging to his body like a second skin. It couldn't be providing enough warmth that chilly night. His fingers twitched, wanting to rub his hands over Natsu's arms.

_'I wish I could warm him up.'_

Natsu's head snapped towards him, as if he heard Gray's thoughts. He stilled, waiting for Natsu to say something, but he didn't, letting his teeth chatter again as he scooted closer to the heater.

Gray let out a sigh, happy Natsu couldn't read his thoughts. He wasn't ready to let Natsu know he liked him, and honestly, Gray didn't think he ever would be. "So, what're you doing out here anyways?"

Natsu flinched, eyes flitting to Gray's for a second before he looked down at his lap. "N-nothing."

"Nothing?" Gray cocked his head, not believing him for a second. "You came all the way out here for nothing?"

"...Yes?"

"Bullshit." Gray could see it in Natsu's eyes, even if he tried to cover them with his pink bangs. He was lying, but Gray didn't know why. He could take a guess though, thinking it had to be one of two reasons. Either the reason was bad, or it was embarrassing. "What are you doing out here?"

Natsu tried denying it one more time, but after Gray shut that last attempt down, Natsu sighed. "I... I was getting a Christmas tree."

"What?" Gray blinked before he looked around, the realization that they were near a forest hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Why— You... you were just gonna what? Go chop one down?"

Natsu ducked his head, having the audacity to look ashamed of himself as he nodded. "Yeah... I uh, already did..."

Gray's eyes widened, realizing where the tree in the bed of Natsu's truck came from. "What if someone owns this property?" Gray asked, piecing things together. "That's stealing." He paused, gaping when another thought crossed his mind. "Christmas trees aren't even that expensive! Why are you trying to steal one?!"

"Hey!" Natsu looked up, his teeth clenching as he gave his weak defense. "The guy wanted thirty-five bucks for one. I got mine for free!"

"It's still stealing," Gray pointed out, laughing as he shook his head. "Besides, is it really free? Aren't you gonna have to replace your battery now?"

"What?!" Natsu gasped, eyes fixing on his truck outside. "I better not!"

Gray couldn't stop laughing, especially when Natsu pouted. "You should see your face!"

"Bastard."

"Whatever you say!" Gray leaned back in his seat, his cheeks staining red from either the heat in the car or the fact that he couldn't catch his breath. Either way, he was happy, even if Natsu interrupted his sleep.

"But seriously," Gray started, shaking his head. "Why didn't you call your dad or something instead of me?" Part of Gray hoped Natsu said it was because he wanted to see him, but he should have known that wasn't the case.

"I tried my dad first," Natsu said, ending Gray's laughter.

"Oh, you did?" he whispered, feeling disappointed. He thought Natsu called him because he trusted him to help, but it turned out he was just the back-up plan.

"Yeah," Natsu nodded, not noticing the way Gray's shoulders fell. "I tried calling my mom too, and Lucy, then Cana. No one answered."

"Is that so?" Gray mumbled, trying to ignore the pain in his heart. He was the last resort, meaning Natsu didn't want to call him in the first place. He didn't want it to get to him, but it did. It made things worse when Gray remembered texting Natsu earlier that day to set up plans to meet at the mall. If Natsu hadn't gotten his number that day, Gray doubted he would've even thought of him.

"I was last on the list, huh?" Gray tried to make it sound like a joke, but it came out bitter, his head lowering in defeat. He thought spending time together was a way to get closer, but Gray realized it was more out of convenience than anything else.

Natsu sighed, saying the last thing Gray wanted to hear. "I didn't wanna call you at all."

Ouch. That hurt more than Gray wanted to admit.

His hands clenched into fists as he took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the pain he felt. A heaviness settled on his chest, a reminder that Natsu would never see him as more than a friend. Hell, at this point he wondered if Natsu even considered him that much.

Gray wanted to be his friend at the very least. Natsu was a cool guy, and they had fun together for the most part. Yes, he had hoped for more, but he wasn't going to hold that against Natsu.

Natsu looked over, his brows furrowing when he saw Gray's tense body and sour expression. His eyes widened as his jaw went slack, his hands coming up to wave in front of him. "Shit! I didn't mean it like that! Just—"

Natsu clenched his teeth as he looked at the dashboard of Gray's car, one hand coming up to tangle in his hair. "Fuck, I'm sorry. Of course I wanted to call you, it's just, not like this."

Gray looked up, his brows pinched together as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Natsu let out a heavy sigh, leaning against the passenger door while he faced Gray. "I just, I wanted you to think I was cool, but this," he gestured to his truck, "this isn't cool at all."

"What?" Gray's eyes flitted back and forth between Natsu and his truck, wondering what he meant. "Why do you care if I think you're cool or not?" For the record, Gray did think Natsu was cool, but he wasn't about to admit that, especially after everything going on tonight. Gray felt vulnerable, and the last thing he wanted to do was stroke Natsu's ego when he felt like shit.

Natsu groaned, leaning back in his seat as he dragged a hand over his face. He looked exasperated, further confusing Gray. "You're always so calm and confident, and me—" Natsu sighed. "I'm just bleh."

Gray blinked, his brows furrowing as he tried to figure out what was going on inside Natsu's head.  _'Why is he saying this? And why the hell does he think he's bleh?'_  In Gray's opinion, Natsu was anything but 'bleh'. He was interesting, funny, and hot as fuck. 'Bleh' was the opposite of what Natsu Dragneel was, but once again, Gray kept his mouth shut about it.

Natsu stole a peek at Gray, his eyes falling to the dashboard a moment later. "I thought if I could impress you, you'd..." His voice trailed off as a tinge of pink colored his cheeks. If it weren't for his headlights reflecting off the snow around them, Gray wouldn't have been able to see the soft color since it was so late at night.

Gray's first thought was to blame the blush on the heater, but that thought vanished when Natsu added, "Well, I uh... I thought if I impressed ya, you'd say yes when I... when I asked you... out."

Gray's eyes widened, jolting back as he absorbed the information. "What?" He gaped, heart pounding against his rib cage as he tried to make sense of what he heard. Surely he was mistaken. "You... you like...  _me_?"

Natsu didn't look fazed at first, nodding as he glanced over at him. "Well, yeah," he said as if it were obvious. "I thought we've been flirting lately?" Natsu's eyes slowly went wide when Gray didn't respond, panic flashing within that emerald color. "Oh shit, are you not—?"

Natsu covered his mouth with his hand, his body going tense as he let out a string of curse words. "I'm so sorry! Fuck! I-I honestly thought you were flirting back with me. Damn it!" He closed his eyes as he shook his head, that pink on his cheeks turning into a deep red. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable if I did. I just thought— Fuck! I fucked up! I'm sorry! I—"

"No!" Gray yelled, cutting Natsu off. He was convinced if he hadn't done it, Natsu would've kept going. Gray's throat felt tight, but he pushed through it as he turned in his seat, facing the man who made his heart pound. "I-I was, I mean, I was trying to anyways. Flirt I mean..." He cupped the back of his neck, feeling himself sweat from nerves. "I'm not really that good at flirting..."

"Are you kidding?" Natsu asked, but since he didn't clarify, Gray didn't know what he was referring to.

"I'm not," he settled with, letting Natsu take the lead.

Natsu blinked, his eyes wandering towards the floorboard before his gaze met Gray's again. "But, all the jokes and stuff... And the way you're always so confident—"

"Not really that confident," Gray added, but Natsu wasn't having it.

"Please. You're the most cool guy I know!" Natsu took a deep breath, his voice a little shaky as he said, "I thought I was a mess next to you." His eyes started flitting around the car, looking at everything but Gray's face. "I've been, umm, trying to find a reason to... well, to ask you out for weeks."

"Really?" Gray cocked his head, a small chuckle building up in his chest. "And buying a gift for your sister was the best you could come up with?"

"What?" Natsu fired back, his eyes narrowing as his voice adopted a defensive tone. "I wanted to ask you to something else, but I figured you'd say no. I wasn't sure if you were even into guys." He grumbled as he turned his body away from Gray, wrapping his arms around his middle. "Some people pretend to flirt just for the hell of it. I didn't know if you were just messin' around."

Judging by the way Natsu said it, Gray figured something similar must have happened in his past. He had read signs wrong from people before and made a fool out of himself when he asked out someone who wasn't interested. He knew how badly that rejection hurt. He didn't want Natsu to worry anymore. It seemed like he had put himself through enough. He didn't need Gray making it worse.

"I wasn't," Gray assured, lifting his hand. He hesitated before setting it over Natsu's, feeling heat radiating from his skin. He hoped that meant Natsu wasn't cold anymore.

Natsu flinched as he looked over, his eyes growing wide before he glanced down at his side where Gray was touching him. It was small, but a smile tugged at the corner of Natsu's lips as he relaxed.

"You weren't messing around?" he asked, sounding reserved, like he was expecting Gray to tell him it was all just one big joke. However, Gray had no such plans.

Shaking his head, Gray said, "Nope. I uh, I—" He cleared his throat, feeling his face burning with a blush. "I like you."

Silence swept over them as they took it all in, Natsu's smile slowly growing bigger until it reached his eyes. "I like you too, if that isn't painfully obvious by now." He let out a nervous chuckle, eyes locked with Gray's.

Gray couldn't help but smile, the weight on his chest lifting now that everything was out in the open. He never thought his feelings for Natsu would go anywhere, but he was happy he was wrong.

"What was the other thing?" Gray asked, causing Natsu to cock his head. "You said you wanted to ask me out to something else?"

"Oh!" Natsu nodded as he swallowed thickly. "A friend of mine is having a party. A uh, a Christmas party. She said I can invite you, if um..." Natsu snorted, shaking his head. "She said if I ever get the courage to ask you out, that is."

"You told your friend about me?" Gray asked, surprised and oddly happy about it.

"Yeah. I told you about Lucy before. She's my best friend. I—" He laughed at himself, the carefree sound being music to Gray's ears. "I told her about you the first day we met. Except back then I said you were kinda annoying."

Gray narrowed his eyes while Natsu chuckled. "So she doesn't know you..."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, she knows I like ya. I told her that too once I realized it. She told me I shoulda asked you out a while back, but I thought you'd say no." He sighed, flexing his fingers a bit, but Gray kept his hand covering his. "I'm kinda glad it worked out this way though."

"Me too." Gray smiled, but it soon turned into a smirk. "Now I get to hold this over your head." Natsu stuck out his tongue, but it only made Gray think he was cuter. "Speaking of your truck..." He turned to look at the beast. "Do you think it's done chargin'?"

Natsu's eyes widened. "Shit! I forgot about it!" He pulled away, getting out of the car to enter the cold outdoors.

Gray watched as Natsu went to his truck, starting the ignition with relative ease. It had been charging for a while, their conversation lasting longer than expected. When Natsu got the truck up and running, he hopped out, disconnecting the jumper cables from his truck before doing the same to Gray's car. After closing the hood, Natsu walked over to Gray's window, tapping on the glass to get him to roll it down.

Gray cut off his heater before rolling the window down a few inches, not wanting to let all the heat escape. "You good?"

Natsu nodded, a large, toothy grin on his face. It made Gray's heart flip, happy he could help cause such a beautiful expression. "Yeah. Thank you so much for helping me out! You really saved my ass."

"No problem. Next time don't leave your lights on. Your truck's not as invincible as you think it is."

"Clearly," Natsu said, glaring at his truck as if it betrayed him. He looked back at Gray, his eyes softening in an instant. "So, um, did you maybe wanna go to that party with me?"

Gray perked up. He had forgotten Natsu wanted to invite him to it. "Yeah, that sounds fun. Um, can you text me about it later?" He chuckled, his eyes drooping a little from exhaustion. "I kinda need to get home and sleep."

"Right!" Natsu nodded, bundling up his jumper cables into his chest. "Thanks again! I'll text you when I get up. It's not for a few days, so you got time." He took a step back, his bright smile remaining on his face. "I'll see you later?"

Gray nodded towards Natsu's truck. "I'll follow you out. Wanna make sure you actually get out okay." He saw the way Natsu's cheeks turned a darker red, making his own face warm up at the confession. He was glad when Natsu didn't comment on it, instead heading to his truck to get it ready to drive.

Natsu put the hood down before climbing in, throwing his truck in reverse to give himself room. Gray waited until Natsu turned around before putting his car in drive, following Natsu until they made it to the main roads.

A turn down the road took them different ways, Natsu heading left while Gray went right. Gray didn't worry, knowing the battery would be good until Natsu got home at the very least, but hopefully charging it would be enough to keep the battery alive for a while. He knew those things could get expensive.

Gray drove home with a huge, giddy smile on his face. He couldn't believe Natsu liked him. Not only that, he asked him to go to a party with him! His heart thrummed and his palms sweat, but he didn't give a single fuck.

Natsu Dragneel liked him, and that was enough to keep him grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Happy holidays! I hope you have a safe and happy time no matter what you celebrate! Thank you for reading! This is part one of a two-shot. I don't know how long it'll take me to write/post the second part, but I'm hoping to have it out soon! :) I have the rough outline for it so far.
> 
> So, tell me what you think. This story was inspired by a short conversation I had with my husband while we were at work. He brought up the Ford gift set thing and I made the lame 'mugging' joke. That was enough to spark the idea for this two-shot! :P I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts? I'd love to hear them!
> 
> Thank you for reading once again!


	5. Jump Start: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Working retail was a pain in the ass, but it got worse when the holidays rolled around. Luckily for Gray, he had a fun and goofy coworker to go through the hell with. Now, if he could just stop his heart from racing every time he was near Natsu, he would be golden. A two-shot Christmas story. Modern AU.
> 
> Pairing: Natsu/Gray (Gratsu)
> 
> Rated T for foul language and adult situations.
> 
> Genre: Humor, Romance
> 
> Word Count: 5.5K

Natsu perked up when he heard the doorbell ring. He ran through his house, almost tripping over his cats, Happy and Carla, on his way to answer the door. "I'll get it!"

He didn't get there fast enough, watching as his dad opened the door to greet Gray. His family was well aware of his date to Lucy's Christmas party, though hearing about Gray and meeting him were two different things.

"Come in, come in," Igneel said, widening the door so Gray could enter.

Natsu slowed his pace, cupping the back of his neck as his face warmed. He had to admit, he was a little embarrassed to be living at home still. He was nineteen years old, but he couldn't afford to rent an apartment by himself yet. He made enough to pay his bills and have some left over, but until he found a cheap place to live or got a better paying job, he was stuck at home.

Gray didn't comment on Natsu's living arrangements, instead smiling when he saw him. Natsu wanted to usher Gray out and go straight to the party, but his parents had other ideas, Igneel escorting Gray to the living room so the rest of the family could meet him.

Natsu took a deep breath, deciding he could roll with it. Struggling would only make things worse. "Gray, I'd like you to meet my family." He gestured to each person, watching as Gray shook each of their hands.

"My dad, Igneel, my mom, Grandeeney, and Wendy, my sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Grandeeney said, giving Gray a soft smile.

He nodded, sounding just as cool and charming as ever. "The pleasure's all mine. And may I say, what a beautiful home you have." Gray looked around, his eyes flitting over the walls decorated with pictures and mementos. "Feels warm."

Grandeeney's smile grew wider. "Why, thank you."

While Natsu's parents and Gray exchanged pleasantries, Natsu looked over Gray's body, eyes widening a bit when he recognized the shirt Gray was wearing. It was the same one he picked out when they were at the mall together. Natsu couldn't help but smile as he thought,  _'I was right. That shirt does look good on him.'_

"We'll have to have you over for dinner sometime, if that's okay," Igneel said, earning a nod from Gray.

"I'd like that."

Natsu's parents were supportive of their son. If Natsu thought Gray was good enough to meet them, they wanted to get to know him better. Natsu just knew it would have to be later, seeing as they had a party to get to.

"We should head out before we're late," Natsu said, grabbing the large bag by the front door, hoisting it over his shoulder. "I'll be back later tonight! Don't wait up."

"Text us if you're staying over at anyone's house," Igneel said, giving Natsu a not-so-subtle wink. "That way we know you're safe if you don't come home."

" _Dad!_ " Natsu groaned, his face burning with a blush. He liked Gray, but he had no intentions on sleeping with him on the first date. He wanted to get to know him better before he stayed overnight. "Trust me. I'll be home tonight."

His dad chuckled. "Alrighty. You two have fun."

"Drive safe," Grandeeney called as Gray and Natsu headed out the door.

"I will. And don't worry, I'll make sure he gets home safe too." Gray gave Natsu's family one last wave before turning around, trudging through the snow towards his car.

Natsu wanted to take his truck, but they decided earlier to ride together to the party. He could go without his beast for one night if it meant spending that time with Gray.

"What's in the bag?" Gray asked when they climbed inside his car, sliding his key into the ignition.

Natsu smiled at the large bag in his lap, one of his hands digging in to find something. "Gifts for my friends."

Gray nodded, starting the car. "Oh, okay."

When the car moved forward, Natsu tightening his stomach on reflex. He slowly relaxed when he felt his motion sickness medication working, happy he wouldn't look like a fool in front of Gray. At least, not when it came to riding in a vehicle. Pushing that thought aside, Natsu went back to looking, his blush crawling down his neck and disappearing behind his scarf when he found what he wanted.

Natsu cleared his throat, hoping he sounded cool when he said, "I got you something."

Gray looked over, his eyes widening when he saw Natsu pulling out a wrapped box from the bag. "What?"

"I got this for you," he repeated, fumbling with the box for a second. He wanted to hand it to Gray, but he was currently driving. Frowning, Natsu sat it on his lap with the bag. "You can open it when we get there."

Gray nodded, taking in a deep breath that went noticed by Natsu. "Well, that's good."

Natsu raised a brow, wondering what Gray was talking about until he saw him reaching in the backseat, pulling up a wrapped rectangular box. Before Natsu could ask what it was, Gray said, "I thought you were gonna think I was weird for getting you this, but I guess it's okay now."

Natsu grabbed the box when Gray pushed it towards him. He smiled, already looking forward to opening it. "I'll wait 'til we get there, that way we can do it at the same time."

"Sounds good."

They grew quiet for a moment, letting the low radio fill the silence. That was, until a Christmas song came on, prompting Gray to change the station. "So tired of hearing Christmas music," he mumbled under his breath.

Natsu nodded as he chuckled. He was tired of it too. It started trickling in the radio the day after Halloween and just got worse from there. He leaned back in his seat to get comfortable, casting Gray a glance as he asked, "So, how was work today?"

Gray sighed, his shoulders bunching up as if it was stressing him out just thinking about work. "Horrible. I swear, people get so crazy this time of year."

"What happened?"

"Just everything in general. Nothing too serious, just rude customers who were mad we didn't have the thing they wanted in stock." Gray's eyes narrowed as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Like, this one guy was mad we didn't have the Princess Hisui dolls in stock."

"I don't get people like that," Natsu said, feeling Gray's pain. "They wait 'til the last minute to try to buy the most popular toy. Of course it's gonna be sold out."

"Right? Well, he didn't get that. Kept asking to see the manager." Gray snickered, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I sent Erza after him. You should've seen him afterwards."

Natsu barked out a laugh. "I bet she sent him running with his tail between his legs!"

"Pretty much." Gray shared in the laugh, the two discussing the various ways Erza had scared off rude customers in the past. Before they knew it, Gray's GPS was telling him he had arrived at his destination, the loud music from the party being heard from where they sat in the parked car.

"Here," Natsu said, handing Gray the present once he turned off the vehicle. He grinned as he looked down at his gift, wondering what Gray would've gotten for him.

The two opened their presents at the same time, both laughing when they saw what the other got. Gray had given Natsu a hot sauce gift set, complete with ten different flavors. He remembered telling Gray he loved hot sauce, and if that wasn't enough, he always had some in the fridge at work with his name on the bottle, just in case he needed a little extra kick with his lunch.

Gray laughed at his present, fingers brushing over the box to his new mini snow cone machine. "Did you get this 'cause I was saying I wanted a snow cone the other day?"

Natsu nodded, diverting his eyes so he wouldn't blush more. "That, and I know how you like cold food. Thought you could put it to good use?"

"I can," Gray said, giving Natsu some relief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thanks for the hot sauce! I can't wait to try them!"

Gray chuckled, shaking his head. "Take your time. They're not going anywhere."

The two were all smiles as they placed their presents in the backseat of Gray's car, preparing themselves for the party inside. "Ready?" Natsu asked, hand hovering over the door handle.

Gray nodded, causing Natsu's smile to grow a little wider. "Yeah. Let's go."

The two made it one step into the house before they were being bombarded, a certain brown-eyed blonde rushing Natsu as she gave him a hug. He smelled the faint scent of liquor on her breath as she pulled back, her grin a little crooked as she looked at Gray.

"Are you the guy Natsu won't stop going on about?" she asked, not waiting for Gray to answer before she was hugging him too.

Natsu barked out a laugh, taking it upon himself to give the introduction. "Gray, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is Gray."

"Nice to meet you," Gray said, holding his hands out as if he were scared to touch her.

Natsu figured he was just confused as to Lucy's sudden hug, shrugging it - _and Lucy_ \- off. He grabbed his best friend's arm, giving her a soft tug so she'd let go. "Have you been drinking?" It was a stupid question because of the obvious answer, but he figured he'd let Lucy tell him herself.

She nodded, looking proud as she stumbled back a step. "Cana and I had a contest!"

"Oh no," Natsu whispered, causing Gray to raise a brow.

"What's wrong?"

Natsu sighed, running his free hand through his pink locks. "Cana's another friend. She uh, she likes to drink... a lot." He looked around, but he didn't see the brunette anywhere. "I guarantee she won whatever contest they had."

Lucy huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I almost won!"

"What was the contest?" Gray asked, holding out a hand when Lucy stumbled again.

Natsu couldn't help but smile a little despite his friend's drunkenness. Gray was ready to lend a helping hand, literally, even though he just met the woman. That was one of the reasons Natsu started liking Gray in the first place. He was a kindhearted guy.

"See who could finish five shots the fastest!" Lucy held up four fingers, laughing as she spun around. "Whoa! Too fast!" She stumbled a bit, but someone stepped up, wrapping their arm around her to keep her steady.

"And this is why I never leave you out of my sights when Cana's around." Mira, another one of Natsu's friends, stepped up to help Lucy out. "I swear, you two egg each other on."

Lucy stuck out her tongue, looking like she was on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum. Natsu had to laugh again, finding his friend's behavior hilarious. His laughter died down when Mira asked who Gray was, her curiosity piqued.

However, before Natsu could answer, Lucy proudly announced, "This is Gray! You know, the one Natsu's  _always_  talking about?!"

Mira smiled, using her free hand to extend to Gray. "Oh, yeah, Natsu's mentioned you a lot."

Natsu bit back a blush, hoping Gray would think they were joking. They weren't, but he didn't want Gray to know that.

Gray gave a nervous chuckle as he glanced at Natsu. "I hope it's nothing bad?"

Mira and Lucy giggled to each other as the latter shrugged. "Only a little."

Natsu wanted to cover his face so Gray couldn't see his red cheeks, but thankfully the moment was ending, Mira saying she needed to get some food in Lucy before the poor girl threw up.

"Go! Have fun!" Mira said, nodding towards the party. "Mingle, drink, make out for all I care. Just go have fun!"

With that, the girl took off, holding Lucy close to her side so she couldn't stray away from her.

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck when they were gone, unable to meet Gray's gaze. "I uh, I'm gonna go drop these off," he started, lifting the bag of presents. "You um, wanna come with me?"

He didn't see if Gray nodded or not, but he did hear him say, "Yeah."

The two made their way to the corner of the living room where a tall tree stood. Natsu stuffed his presents in with the others, making sure they were towards the back so they wouldn't accidentally get stepped on by drunk people. With that finished, Natsu suggested they get something to drink, leading him to the kitchen.

Natsu thought about asking if Gray was alright with him drinking a beer, but he decided against it. Even if Gray was okay with it, Natsu didn't want to make him feel left out. Gray had to stay sober since he was driving later. Natsu settled with getting them both sodas, knowing he didn't have to drink to have a good time. Besides, he wanted to get to know Gray better. What would be the point of that if he ended up forgetting some of the stuff later due to being drunk?

They grabbed some sodas and went back to the living room, Natsu introducing Gray to the friends he ran into along the way. Thankfully none were as embarrassing as Lucy or Mira, but one of his friends, Gajeel, did mention the time Natsu mumbled Gray's name in his sleep when they went camping together, thus giving up a piece of information Natsu wasn't ready to admit yet.

"When'd you go camping?" Gray asked when they entered the living room, the two standing against the stairs leading to the second floor.

Natsu swallowed, procrastinating a bit by taking a slow drink, knowing he had to give Gray an answer at some point. He sighed, clenching his teeth as he said, "August..."

"Does that me—" Gray shut his mouth, not finishing his question. "Never mind."

Natsu knew what he was going to ask, but he was dreading answering it. He groaned, tipping his head back until he hit the wall that separated them from the stairs. His stomach twisted as he admitted the truth, even if he wished he could've waited until later to discuss it.

"I've liked you since August, yes." He sighed, eyes falling to the ground. It had been about four months of him thinking about Gray almost all of the time. It started after they worked an overnight shift together and spent a little too long in the break room talking about life in general. That was when Natsu really got to talking with Gray, and also when he realized how beautiful his endless blue eyes were. Since that night, he had been crushing hard, but he kept quiet at work about it, thinking Gray wouldn't be interested.

Natsu swallowed, ready to tell Gray a shorter version of that, but he stopped when he heard Gray's voice.

"Hey, you don't need to explain." Gray stepped in front of him, causing Natsu to look up. "I promise, I'm cool with it either way, but you don't gotta feel pressured." He smiled, making Natsu's cheek twitch. "Okay?"

Natsu opened his mouth, pausing for a moment before nodding, a small smile gracing his lips. "Okay, thanks."

"No problem." Gray returned to the wall, his eyes flitting to the living room where a few people were setting up a game of giant Jenga, the tower coming up to four feet tall before they started playing. "Huh, I've heard of that, but I've never played before."

Natsu didn't know if Gray was actually interested in the game or if he was just trying to take the pressure off Natsu. Either way, he was thankful for the subject change. "Yeah. It's pretty fun, but I think they'll be knocking it over a lot tonight." Most people in the house were drinking, their hands not as coordinated as they were when they were sober.

Sure enough, not five minutes went by before the tower fell over, almost hitting Gray's foot when it landed. Gray stepped closer to Natsu as he moved back, the two now at the base of the stairs. Natsu didn't think anything of it until he heard a squeal, his teeth clenching as he cringed, wondering what made such a high pitched sound.

The two men turned, finding a random drunk girl coming down the stairs. She had one finger pointed over their heads as she made the annoying sound once more. " _Awwww!_  Are you two gonna kiss?!"

Natsu's eyes went wide as he looked up, seeing the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. He hadn't noticed it earlier, thinking Lucy wouldn't put any up considering what happened at the last Christmas party. She had to kick Loke out because he kept taking advantage of the pesky plant by leading girls towards the spots where it was hanging up. After that, Lucy had said she wasn't going to put more up, but he guessed she changed her mind.

"Mandy!"

Natsu jolted before watching the drunk girl swagger over to the crowd of people, forgetting about Natsu and Gray in an instant. Natsu would've sighed in relief had they not still been under the mistletoe, the back of his neck beading with sweat as the tips of his ears burned.

Natsu directed his attention at Gray, finding he was already looking at him, those deep blue eyes wide as the two stared in silence. Natsu wet his lips in an attempt to soothe his nerves, not realizing it would cause Gray's eyes to flit to his lips. He gulped, wondering what was going to happen.

Just when Natsu thought neither of them were going to say anything, Gray finally spoke up. "Do... do you want to?"

Natsu's heart raced as his mind screamed,  _'Yes!'_ , but he had control over his voice for the most part. He took a subtle deep breath, trying to look nonchalant as he shrugged. "I mean, it's tradition..."

Natsu thought his point was valid, but Gray  _had_  to be a gentleman, once again giving Natsu a choice. "We don't have to do it."

The difference this time was Natsu wanted to go through with it. He couldn't count how many times he had thought about what it would feel like to kiss Gray, imagining those lips on his. He didn't know if saying he wanted it would make him sound desperate, but part of him didn't care. Usually if Natsu wanted something, he went for it, but with Gray he kept second guessing himself, wondering if he was going to look like a fool.

"Do you want to?" he asked, causing Gray's eyes to widen.

Gray did a hell of a lot better at looking indifferent as he shrugged. It it weren't for the blush surfacing on his face, Natsu would think Gray wasn't interested at all. "I dunno... We could kiss on the cheek, if you're not ready for more?"

Natsu knew he wanted more than a simple kiss on the cheek. Hell, he gave those to his friends on their birthdays or special occasions. A kiss on the cheek was too platonic compared to what he wanted. Summoning his courage, Natsu said, "I want... more." He wanted to pat himself on the back. He thought it would sound like he was asking instead of telling, but his tone came across how he wanted it to.

Natsu gulped past the lump forming in his throat, deciding to go with a different, more direct approach. "Can I kiss you?"

Gray smiled, his lips pulling to reveal some of his teeth. "You want to?" He looked excited, like he was eager to it.

That gave Natsu enough confidence to nod, taking a half-step towards him. "Yes." He waited until Gray gave him a nod in response before closing the gap between them, placing a shaky hand on Gray's cheek to not only show affection, but to make sure he didn't miss.

Natsu closed his eyes as he leaned in, slowly pressing his lips against Gray's. The man responded immediately, applying his own pressure as they shared a soft, sweet kiss. There weren't fireworks, but there didn't have to be. The energy buzzing through Natsu's system and the way his heart raced out of control was enough to give him goosebumps, a grin resting on his lips as they lingered, both not wanting to pull back.

However, all good things came to an end eventually. He slowly opened his eyes when he gave them space, trying to swallow down the rush he felt from just one kiss. He couldn't do it, his chest feeling light and his mind telling him to do it again. Natsu wanted to kiss Gray more, but he didn't want to freak him out.

Apparently, Gray didn't have that same issue.

"Can we go somewhere?" Gray started, eyes flitting around the room before settling on Natsu. "Private?"

Natsu swore he could feel his heart pulsing in his throat as he nodded, lowering his hand from Gray's face. He had forgotten it was there, the action feeling natural. He took a risk, nudging his hand against Gray's. His date took the hint, grabbing his hand back before Natsu led him around to the stairs, bringing him away from the loud party.

They could still hear music when they entered a bedroom, but it still felt more private. Natsu chose to bring Gray to the guest room, not comfortable hanging out in anyone else's room without their permission or knowledge.

As soon as Natsu closed the door, he was being pushed against it, Gray's movements gentle but firm, conveying what he wanted. Despite that, Gray hesitated, fingers flexing against the hold he had on Natsu's waist.

It was Natsu who made the next move, grabbing the front of Gray's shirt before pulling him closer, their lips seeking each other out like magnets. The first kiss started like the one downstairs, soft, simple, and over far too quickly for Natsu's taste. However, now that they were alone, they didn't have to stop there.

Their next kiss held more energy, their lips moving against each other as Natsu wound his arms around Gray's waist, pulling him closer. They gave each other three more kisses before Natsu felt Gray's tongue on his lips, his mouth opening to let him in.

Gray's tongue felt hesitant at first, like he was worried about his actions. Natsu ended the kiss then, sucking in a deep breath to help calm his nerves. "I want it," he said, eyes growing wide when he realized what it sounded like he implied. "Kissing," he clarified, not needing Gray thinking he was up for more than that. "I don't wanna go past kissing, okay?"

"That's fine with me," Gray said, nodding. "That actually makes me feel better." He lifted a hand up, resting it on Natsu's arm before he leaned in, his lips brushing against Natsu's as he spoke. "I wanna take it slow."

Natsu found his smile again, taking the initiative to kiss Gray, this time darting his tongue into his mouth. The kiss started slow at first, but now that the two knew their boundaries, they were free to relax into the kiss, knowing exactly how far it was going to go.

It wasn't long until the kiss turned a little rough, their tongues massaging the other as their hands groped their partner, all without touching anything below the waist. Natsu groaned when he felt Gray sucking on his tongue, loving the sensation. Fire coursed through his veins when he bit Gray's bottom lip in retaliation, tugging the pliant flesh with his teeth, earning a moan in response.

"Damn, your lips are so hot."

Natsu hoped that was a good thing as he moved his hand behind Gray's head, running his fingers through his dark hair. Natsu let out a sound of approval, enjoying how soft it felt. His lips slid against Gray's as he tilted his head, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He swore his heart kept speeding up, the feeling of Gray's lips on his consuming his every thought. Natsu breathed Gray in, every nerve in his body tingling as their tongues moved against each other.

Natsu wanted the moment to last all night, but unfortunately for him, they needed to stop. If they didn't draw the line somewhere, he knew he might go further, and he wasn't ready for anything like that. He had a few rules he held himself to, but Gray's sweet lips were tempting him, urging him to give in, just once.

" _Fuck_ ," Natsu murmured as he pulled away, pressing his back against the door. He held Gray's eyes, mesmerized by the endless blue for a second before he snapped back to reality. "You're a good kisser."

"You are too," Gray said, reluctantly taking his hand off Natsu's cheek, letting his limb hang by his side for a second before stuffing his hand in his pocket. He tried being discreet when he adjusted his jeans, but Natsu noticed. He didn't blame Gray. He was 'fired up' too, needing his own adjustment to get comfortable.

His erection was the main reason Natsu ended the kiss when he did. He had started thinking with his head downstairs, and that wasn't how he wanted tonight to go. However, he had to tell the truth, his courage at an all-time high.

"I definitely wanna do that again," Natsu confessed, grinning when Gray nodded.

"Me too."

"Are you just gonna agree with me all night?" Natsu asked, partially joking. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. He caught Gray staring at his lips again, his confidence building from the attention.

"I just like what you're sayin'," Gray said with a shrug, offering his own smile.

Natsu sucked in a shaky breath, realizing he was panting. He did his best to regain control over himself, but he didn't get too upset for his condition. The way Gray's chest rose and fell quickly suggested he just as winded as Natsu.

Natsu glanced over at the bed, part of him wanting to ask Gray if he wanted to go sit down. He resisted, knowing it was a dangerous line to play with. He didn't care what other people did, but he personally liked not going past kissing on the first date, that way he could get to know the person better. While he knew a bit about Gray, he wanted to know much more before they got too intimate.

And judging by Gray's next question, he was willing to wait too.

"Wanna go back out there now?"

Natsu knew he was beaming as he nodded, taking a step closer to Gray so he would hear his whisper. "In a minute." He cupped Gray's cheek, guiding him closer for a soft, lingering kiss. When they pulled back, Natsu gave him a lazy grin. "Okay, now let's go."

He kept his eyes on Gray as he reached behind him, grabbing the door knob. Most of him didn't want to leave the privacy they had, but he did anyway. In the end, he decided he made the right decision. Gray didn't seem like the kinda guy who was only interested in sex. Instead, the two spent the rest of the night talking with Natsu's friends and each other, having a fun time where everyone could see them.

They stayed by each other's sides for the next few hours, occasionally stealing a kiss or two when no one was looking. Sometimes it was with mistletoe, but sometimes it was without. Natsu spent a good portion of the night laughing, thoroughly enjoying his date with Gray.

Natsu almost forgot the night had to end, a small pout on his face when him and Gray left. They offered to help clean up, but Lucy said she would deal with it in the morning, saying she would rather sleep. Mira and Cana stayed behind, making sure the hostess got to bed safely.

Knowing his friends were safe, Natsu was free to leave with Gray, even if he wanted the party to last just a bit longer. He wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. That was, until Gray drove to Natsu's house, not expecting the events that followed.

When the car was put into park, Natsu prepared himself to say bye and leave. However, before he could get a word out, Gray was cutting off the engine and climbing out of his car. Natsu blinked, wondering what was going on. He grabbed his hot sauce before getting out, seeing Gray walk over to his side of the car.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," Gray said, lacing his fingers with Natsu before tugging him towards the house. "Thought I'd walk you to the door."

Natsu cursed himself for blushing, feeling silly as the two approached the house. He thought that was going to be the only surprise, but he was happy he was wrong.

"You didn't have to do that," Natsu said, fire flickering through his arm when he felt Gray's thumb sliding against his skin.

"I wanted to," was Gray's response, a smile resting on his lip.

Natsu didn't bother stopping himself from leaning in, feeling Gray returning the kiss immediately. It was more reserved than when they were at the party, Natsu worried his parents might be watching. They were notorious for being nosy. He didn't want to give them anything to use to tease him with later.

They pulled away, Natsu's heart pounding and his mind racing. He was about to ask if Gray wanted to have another date soon, but he didn't get the chance, Gray asking his question quicker.

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

Natsu's eyes grew wide as sucked in a sharp breath. "What? Really?" Gray nodded, causing Natsu to chuckle. "And you say you're not confident."

Gray gulped, his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip for a moment before he cupped the back of his neck. "I've uh, I've been wanting to ask you out all night, but I kept chickening out."

"Been there." Natsu barked out a laugh, remembering how many times he tried asking Gray out at work but failed miserably. He knew how scary it could be, fearing rejection and humiliation. However, after what happened tonight, Gray had a great chance of Natsu saying yes.

"So...?" Gray asked, causing Natsu to cock his head.

"So what?" He paused, eyes growing wide when he remembered he had been asked a question. "Oh! Yes! I'd love to go out with you."

Relief flashed through Gray's eyes as he smiled, pressing a hand to his chest over his heart. Natsu's fingers twitched, wanting to feel how fast Gray's heart was beating. He wondered if it was as fast as his, but he doubted it.

Gray's voice was soft, but still full of life. "Awesome." He leaned in, only to pause after a few inches.

Natsu leaned in the rest of the way, wrapped an arm around Gray as they shared another kiss. "I'll call you later?" Natsu asked when they separated, knowing if he didn't go inside soon they'd both freeze to death on his porch.

Gray nodded, his lips pulling into a sly smile as he took a step back. "I'll be waiting."

Before Gray could turn and leave, Natsu said, "Thanks for coming with me tonight."

"Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun."

Natsu's heart warmed, happy everything was working out relatively well. "Me too."

"Now who's agreeing with everything?" Gray teased, joining in when Natsu chuckled.

"Good night."

Gray nodded, finally taking his leave. "Good night. Call me later."

"I will."

Natsu watched as Gray walked to his car, a smile resting on his face as he thought about what happened that night. He had finally gained the courage to tell Gray how he felt, lifting a huge weight off his chest. The fact that Gray liked him back was a bonus, something he wasn't sure was going to happen. Sure, they flirted a bit, but Gray could've easily been messing around for fun.

Natsu was glad he hadn't been, happy things worked out in the end. His pride was injured a bit when he had to call for help for his truck, but considering how things turned out, Natsu could look past that part.

Natsu waited until Gray was in his car before opening his door, giving his new boyfriend one last wave before disappearing inside his house. He was already looking forward to how their story would unfold, hoping they would have lots of fun and happy times together.

Most days Natsu hated his retail job, but if it wasn't for it, he never would've met such a great guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So two days after I posted Part One of this two shot, my husband woke me up in the morning with a call saying his truck wouldn't start. XD Turns out the battery died and he needed to get it jumped just to make it to work. We've already replaced the battery and the truck is working again, but I thought it was funny since I just posted the story not too long ago before it happened. I made a joke that I upset the Chevy gods with my story. XD What are the odds though?
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think! Merry Christmas if you celebrate. (I'm posting this chapter on Christmas 2017) Happy holidays to those who don't! Either way, I hope you have a safe and fun day! Thank you again for reading! Please drop a review to tell me what you thought! I love hearing from you!


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